Kathmandu: Celebrating 70 years of bilateral relations, Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel visited Japan from February 1 to 4. Nepal and Japan established diplomatic relations on September 1, 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. President Paudel also received a guard of honour. President Paudel 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, President Paudel held courtesy meetings with Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae separately on February 3.
Earlier, on February 2, President Paudel was welcomed by Japan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Horii Iwao. President Paudel participated in a special reception hosted by Minister Horii. Moreover, President Paudel also met the Nepali diaspora in Japan and addressed a program organized by the Nepali Embassy in Tokyo.
President Paudel, along with First Lady Sabita 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 (CNAS), 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 as a development partner 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 and Nepalis have benefited greatly from this,” President Paudel said during the conversation with Emperor Naruhito, according to President Paudel’s Press Advisor, Kiran Pokharel.
President Paudel 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,” he said.
President Paudel said that the long-standing relationship between the two countries, based on history, culture, and mutual cooperation, has progressed with closer and deeper friendship since the establishment of diplomatic relations. “The 70th anniversary of Nepal–Japan diplomatic relations that we are celebrating this year is a milestone in the bilateral relationship established between us,” he said.
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 water jugs for 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.
“We are grateful for the continuous support, goodwill, and understanding of the Japanese government towards us, and we want to work together with the Japanese leadership in the coming days to further strengthen the friendly relations and mutual cooperation between the two countries,” President Paudel’s press advisor Kiran Pokharel said, quoting him.
Stating that the 70th anniversary of Nepal–Japan diplomatic relations is a milestone in the bilateral relations between the two countries, President Paudel said that such high-level visits will further strengthen the relationship.
Noting that Japan is an important development partner in Nepal’s social and economic development, he said that there is great potential to attract Japanese investment in Nepal’s development priority areas, as well as to expand bilateral trade. “For this, Nepal has already made legal, procedural, and institutional reforms to facilitate trade, attract foreign investment, and promote innovation,” President Paudel said.
Japan’s bilateral grants, loans, multilateral assistance, and technical assistance, he said, have made significant contributions to human resource development, health, agricultural development, infrastructure development, environmental protection, and cultural preservation in Nepal.
“I am confident that Nepal will continue to receive cooperation and goodwill from Japan as it moves towards upgrading from the least developed country category,” President Paudel said.
He said that Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, has served as a strong bridge between the people of both countries, who believe in the Buddha’s philosophy of world peace, stability, and brotherhood. He expressed his best wishes for the complete success of the general elections to be held soon in Japan.
On the occasion, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae expressed Japan’s wish for the upcoming March 5 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.
Stating that Nepal and Japan have been close friends for a long time, 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.
Previously, then President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari visited Japan from October 20 to 22, 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.
