Dhaka: ‘The Unfinished Memoirs’, the autobiography Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been translated into Japanese by the chief programme director of the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).

Kazuhiro Watanabe of the Bengali Department of NHK, who translated the book from Bengali, presented a copy of the book to the Prime Minister on Sunday when he paid a courtesy call on her at her office.

Following the meeting, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Ihsanul Karim briefed the reporters.

He said that prestigious Japanese publishing house Asahi Shoten published the Japanese version of the book.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina thanked Watanabe for translating the 600-page book from original Bangla to Japanese and expressed her gratitude.

She said the Japanese version of the memoirs of Bangabandhu would provide an opportunity for the Japanese people to understand the thoughts and struggle of Bangabandhu, the greatest Bengali of all time.

Sheikh Hasina also conveyed gratitude to Asahi Shoten for taking the noble initiative of publishing the book within this short period time.

She mentioned that two notebooks written by Bangabandhu while in jail after announcing the 6-point demands were found recently, and said she will also give Watanabe a number of books written by her.

Watanabe also handed over another copy of the book to the Prime Minister for Sheikh Rehana, the younger daughter of Bangabandhu.

PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum, Bangladesh Ambassador to Japan Masud Bin Momen and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Mahbubul Haq Shakil, among others, were present.

Kazuhiro Watanabe arrived in Dhaka on Friday to hand over the Japanese version of the Memoirs to the Prime Minister. He has a long career in the Bangla Department of NHK. Presently he is Chief Programme Director, Bangla Section, Radio Japan.

A genuine friend of Bangladesh and recently constituted Japan-Bangladesh Society in Tokyo, Watanabe is working in collaboration with Bangladesh Embassy in Japan to promote Bangla language and Bangladesh in Japan.

Kazuhiro Watanabe has also published ‘Amar Bangladesh’, Bangla translation from the Japanese original ‘Bangguradeshu tono Deai’ by late Takashi Hayakawa, MP and “Rokto O Kada 1971”, another Bangla translation from the Japanese original ‘Chi to Doro to’, by Tadamasa Fukiura.