A: Hey there! Guess who I've just been hearing about?
B: Who, a famous person maybe?

A: Yeah, you know Muhammad Yunus, right? He's the Nobel laureate from Bangladesh. Well, he's the interim leader now and he met with NHK in Tokyo.
B: Oh, what did they talk about?

A: He was hoping Japan will step up as a leader in Asia and help out Bangladesh, especially by supporting young entrepreneurs. He also mentioned deepening their cooperation.
B: That's interesting! But I heard something about him stepping down as chief adviser of the interim government?

A: Yeah, there were reports last week, but he didn't confirm it in the interview. He did say though that he wants to carry out as many reforms as possible before the election and change anything deemed unsafe.
B: What about the election? When will it happen?

A: According to Yunus, they plan to hold it somewhere between December this year and June next year, just as they announced earlier.
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Interim leader of Bangladesh and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has expressed hope that Japan will show leadership in Asia and boost cooperation with his country, especially in supporting youth entrepreneurship.



Yunus was named chief adviser to the interim government last August after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned following deadly student-led protests. She had held the position for about 15 years.



Yunus sat for an exclusive interview with NHK in Tokyo on Thursday.



In the interview, he said he hopes Japan will assume leadership in Asia and take the initiative in building a system to support young entrepreneurs. He expressed expectations for deeper bilateral cooperation.



Bangladeshi media reported last week that Yunus was considering stepping down as chief adviser of the interim government. They cited rising tensions with certain political parties and the military over the pending election, as well as difficulties implementing reforms that Yunus had promised.



Yunus did not directly address those reports, but told NHK that he hopes to carry out as many reforms as possible before the election. He said the government does not want to "go back to the same structure, same policies, same judiciary, etc., which were used as tool of oppression, tool of taking away people's rights." He said everything that now exists will be examined and anything deemed unsafe will be changed.



Yunus said they hope to hold an election sometime between December and June next year, as announced earlier.