Japan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kamikawa Yoko, arrived in Kathmandu Sunday afternoon on an official visit to Nepal. The Minister arrived at the cordial invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Foreign Service Secretary Sewa Lamsal received the Japanese Minister at Tribhuvan International Airport. This marks her first visit to Nepal after she was appointed to the post.
The Japanese Minister paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. In the bilateral meetings and talks with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shrestha at the Ministry today, views were exchanged on further elevating Nepal-Japan relations and bilateral cooperation.
Japan seeks cooperation with Nepal on “Women, Peace and Security” (WPS), which the Japanese government has strongly promoted in recent years. WPS is based on the idea that society can be much closer to a more sustainable peace through the participation of women themselves in leadership positions.
Nepal is the world’s largest contributor of personnel for UN peacekeeping operations (PKO) and has the largest number of female PKO personnel in the world, which strengthens the expectations from Nepal. Japan offered to support Nepal after it graduated from the LDC category.
Japan and Nepal have many commonalities, both are democratic countries and face frequent natural calamities like earthquakes, and both are hilly mountainous regions and face a scarcity of natural resources.
Diplomatic ties between Japan and Nepal started in 1956 and the year 2026 will be commemorated as the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal. Nepal provides one big workforce in Japan after China, Brazil and Vietnam.
The total number of Nepalis living in Japan exceeds 170,000, the sixth largest number of foreign nationals living in Japan. Today, Japan and Nepal are connected by direct flights that take about 7 hours.
Foreign Minister of Japan Yoko visited the Kathmandu Durbar Square to see the UNESCO Heritage site. DPM Shrestha hosted a dinner in honour of his Japanese counterpart this evening. Foreign Minister Kamikawa departs for Japan tonight via Nepal Airlines Plane.
By, Sweta Singh, Kathmandu
