Dhaka, Aug. 18 -- Speakers at a discussion on Monday stressed the economic and cultural dividends of migration, pointing to the experience of Bangladeshis who have lived and worked in Japan.

Migrants who return, they argued, bring back not only money but also habits, skills, and networks that can enrich their homeland.

The event was part of a research project on "Global Migration and Transnational Networks," led by Professor Tetsuo Mizukami of Rikkyo University in Tokyo and supported by the Asian People's Friendship Society. The team has surveyed and interviewed Bangladeshis who moved to Japan from the late 1980s onwards, many of whom spent years embedded in Japanese society before returning home.

Their stories, Professor Mizukami note...