!n a festive ceremony held at the Bangabandhu Auditorium today at the Embassy of Bangladesh, Tokyo, the Japanese version of the graphic novel on the life of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman “Mujib” was launched. The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries including Ms. Akie Abe, spouse of the Japanese Prime Minister, who graced the occasion as the chief guest. State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Ms. Toshiko Abe and family members of Bangabandhu including Ms. Sheikh Rehana and her son Mr. Radwan Mujib Siddiq, ambassadors from various countries, officials from public and private sectors of Japan, officials of the Embassy of Bangladesh and Bangladeshi community members living in Japan were also present during the event.
Ambassador of Bangladesh Ms. Rabab Fatima inaugurated the event with a warm note of welcome to the guests. Mentioning that Japanese is the first foreign language after English to which this publication had been translated to, she hoped that the publication would introduce Bangabandhu to the Japanese children and help them understand his struggle for freedom of the people of Bangladesh. She highlighted Bangabandhu’s dream of building a ‘shonar Bangla’ following the development model of Japan. Mentioning Bangabandhu’s love for the children, she stressed that the future generation had much to learn and emulate from his life. She said that Japan had always been a true friend of Bangladesh and, therefore, it was important that Japanese people know more about the person who led Bangladesh’s independence movement and laid the foundation of the bilateral relations between the two countries. She thanked CRI and the translators who worked hard to complete the task.
Ms. Akie Abe, in her speech as the chief guest, highly lauded the initiative and hoped that more of such literature would be translated into Japanese in future. She shared her experience of working with women for their empowerment and mentioned that participation of women contributed significantly in the development of Bangladesh. She commended the leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and appreciated Bangladesh’s miraculous achievement under her prudent leadership. Mentioning the deep friendship and trust between Bangladesh and Japan, she said that the root of bilateral relations between the two countries was founded by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. Toshiko Abe also resonated Ms. Akie Abe’s voice and commended the effort of translating the graphic novel into Japanese. Highlighting the deep compassion that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina showed to the refugees from Myanmar, she mentioned that Bangladesh is now the symbol of humanity and humanitarian efforts.
Mr. Radwan Mujib Siddiq, publisher of “Mujib”, thanked the Bangladesh Ambassador for undertaking this project. He also thanked the Japanese audience and hoped that the publication would help the Japanese children to know more about the history and the Founding Father of Bangladesh.
A video on the timeline of Bangabandhu’s life was shown to the audience. The book was unveiled by the Ms. Akie Abe, Ms. Toshiko Abe, Ms. Sheikh Rehana, Ambassador Ms. Rabab Fatima and Mr. Radwan Mujib Siddiq. Mr. Masaaki Ohashi and Mr. lmran Sharif, who translated the graphic novel into Japanese, were presented with crests to acknowledge their contributions.
Earlier in the day, Ms. Sheikh Rehana, Ambassador Ms. Fatima and other family members of Bangabandhu attended a book reading session at a Japanese school in Tokyo where the graphic novel was read out to the students.