Trends show that Bangladesh will be able to export apparel items worth about $1.0 billion to Japan in the next two years, said a Japanese business tycoon, in Dhaka in connection with the biggest knitwear exposition held every year.

Hiroshi Okada, President of Japan Textile Products Quality and Technology Centre (QTEC), said Japanese lab testing and quality inspection companies are visiting Bangladesh to survey investment potential, as there is a strong presence of Japanese apparel buyers.

The QTEC will start operations in Dhaka from February 1 2010, Okada said in an interview on the sidelines of the 5th Knitexpo at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

At present, at least 20 Japanese companies are in Dhaka to procure Bangladesh made apparel, but lab test and quality inspection is important to Japanese buyers, as Japanese customers are highly quality-conscious. After conducting a market study, he said, it now takes a lot of time to complete lab tests and inspect quality for the Japanese market, as Japanese buyers test all apparel pieces, instead of following a sampling method. Local manufacturers have to send fabrics to Hong Kong or other important destinations to test results, as there are no such facilities in Bangladesh to meet Japanese quality standards.

Japan is the latest avenue for Bangladeshi exports as a large number of Japanese customers are coming to Bangladesh after the Japanese government announced the China+1 Campaign. As a result, Japanese started relocating their factories in different countries, including Bangladesh.

BKMEA President Fazlul Hoque said the largest Japanese retail chain Uniqlo invested $70 million in Bangladesh and they target purchase of apparel items in large huge volumes.