Celebrating 70 years of bilateral relations, Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel visited Japan from 1 to 4, February. Nepal and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1965. Since then, the two countries have been working closely and engaging in high-level visits.
At the cordial invitation of the Government of Japan, President Paudel paid an official visit to Japan to elevate relations between the two friends where President Paudel received a guard of honour and was also honoured with Japan’s Imperial Decoration: “The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.” It was an accolade distinctively conferred on him by the Government of Japan in 2022.
During his visit, the President held courtesy meetings with Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae separately on 3 February. Earlier, on 2 February, Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Horii Iwao welcomed President Paudel and hosted a special reception. President Paudel also met the Nepali diaspora in Japan and addressed a program organized by the Nepali Embassy in Tokyo.
Along with First Lady Sabita Paudel, President Paudel, led a 15-member Nepali delegation to attend a special ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan.
Dr. Mirgendra Bahadur Karki, Executive Director of the Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, said that the President’s visit has contributed to elevating relations between the two close friends.
He said, “Japan has been supporting Nepal without any conditions since the establishment of our bilateral ties. Japan has also provided support in the fields of infrastructure and other essential sectors. For example, the road from Koteshwor to Suryabinayak is one of the best examples of road construction in the country.” He further said that the visit has revived relations between the two countries, which had been disturbed since last year.
During the meeting with Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, President Paudel highly appreciated Japan’s assistance to Nepal. He said that Japan has played an important and reliable role in Nepal’s social and economic development.
“Japan is supporting Nepal in areas such as human resources, health, agriculture, infrastructure development, environmental protection, and cultural preservation, and Nepal has benefited greatly from this,” said President Paudel.
He also said that both countries are inspired by the teachings and ideals of Gautam Buddha. “Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, has served as a strong bridge to strengthen the relationship between the people of Nepal and Japan.”
Stating that the exchange of high-level visits has further strengthened relations between the two countries, President Paudel recalled Emperor Naruhito’s visit to Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Pokhara, and Lumbini during his friendly and distinguished visit as a prince in 1987. He also expressed his gratitude to the Emperor and the Government of Japan for conferring on him the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun in 2020. President Paudel expressed his gratitude to the Government of Japan for its goodwill and support on behalf of the Government and people of Nepal and invited the Emperor and the Empress to visit Nepal at a suitable time.
On the occasion, Emperor Naruhito said that the anniversary of Nepal–Japan diplomatic relations should be celebrated with joy. He mentioned that the memory of his visit to Nepal in 1987 was still fresh in his mind. Emperor Naruhito said that he was inspired to study water issues after seeing women carrying jugs of drinking water during his trek to Sarangkot in Pokhara. He said that Japan would provide Nepal with as much assistance as possible, recalling that both countries have been helping each other in times of natural disasters. Emperor Naruhito also said that Japan had honored President Paudel for his contribution to the development of Nepal–Japan relations.
Moreover, during the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, President Paudel said that relations between Nepal and Japan have been moving forward with closer and deeper friendship since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He also said that Nepal wants to work together with the Japanese leadership to strengthen this relationship and cooperation.
On the occasion, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae expressed Japan’s wish for the upcoming 5 March election of members of Nepal’s House of Representatives to be successful, as Nepal’s stability is important for Japan and the region. Prime Minister Takaichi also said that Japan would send observers to the election.
She said that relations between the two countries are deepening due to contacts with Nepali students studying in Japan and Japanese citizens climbing Nepal’s mountains.
Prime Minister Takaichi said on the occasion of the Nepal–Japan diplomatic anniversary that Japan would continue to support Nepal in the fields of information technology and democracy, calling for further strengthening of the relationship between the two countries.
The Foreign Affairs Adviser of the President of Nepal, Suresh C. Chalise, said that in essence, in the course of seven decades of their relationship, Nepal and Japan have cultivated a bond of friendship characterized by goodwill, mutual trust, and multifaceted cooperation. “Anchored in longstanding historical and cultural linkages and further strengthened through robust development partnerships and vibrant people-to-people exchanges, Nepal–Japan relations continue to expand in both scope and significance,” he added. “In particular, the President’s meetings with His Majesty the Emperor and the Prime Minister, and their shared recognition of the importance of further strengthening existing bilateral ties, lent special significance to the longstanding and enduring friendship between Nepal and Japan.”
Previously, then President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari visited Japan from 20 to 22 October, 2019, to attend the Ceremony of Enthronement of Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. In May 2024, Yoko Kamikawa, Japan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, paid an official visit to Nepal.
