Bilateral Relations
Nepal-Japan relations date back to the late eighteenth century. The relationship became formal with the establishment of diplomatic relations on 01 September 1956, which is marked by friendliness, goodwill and cooperation. Nepal established its embassy in Tokyo in 1965 and Japan established its embassy in Kathmandu in 1967. Nepal has Honorary Consulate in Osaka. Japan is a longstanding friend and a major development partner of Nepal. The year – 2026 – marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Historical Linkages
Japanese Buddhist Monk, Rev. Ekai Kawaguchi first came to Nepal on his way to Tibet in 1899 in search of holy Buddhist scriptures. He introduced Nepal and highlighted the importance of Lumbini to the Japanese people through his writings and publications. During the Rana Regime in Nepal, eight Nepali students had visited Japan for pursuing higher education in 1902, which made Nepalis to come closer to Japanese culture and technology. The year 2022 was celebrated as the 120th anniversary of the International Student Exchange between Nepal and Japan.
Exchange of Visits
High-level exchanges of visits between the two countries have contributed to strengthen the bilateral relations. Growing engagements at the people-to-people level have further consolidate these relations. The latest visits from Nepal and Japan to each other’s countries are as follows;
Visits from the Nepali side
The then Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali paid an official visit to Japan from 1 to 5 November 2018 at the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan H. E. Mr. Taro Kono. During the visit, the Nepali Foreign Minister held delegation level bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart. He also met with Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan H.E. Mr. Takamori Yoshikawa, General Secretary of LDP and Chairman of Japan-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship League H.E. Mr. Toshihiro Nikai, President of JICA and other high-level officials of the Government of Japan during the visit.
The then Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Bhanubhakta Dhakal visited Japan from 8 to 12 October 2018 to attend the 57th session of Asian African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO).
Then President of Nepal Mrs. Bidhya Devi Bhandari visited Japan from 20-22 October 2019 to attend the Ceremony of Enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. During the visit, the President expressed hearty congratulations to the Government and people of Japan on the happy occasion of the Enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor and extended best wishes for peace, prosperity and happiness of the people of Japan in the new Reiwa Era.
Visits from the Japanese side
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan H.E. Mr. Taro Kono visited Nepal from 9 to 10 January 2019. During the visit, the Foreign Ministers of Nepal and Japan held delegation level bilateral talks. Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Kono paid courtesy calls on the Rt. Hon. President and the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister of Nepal.
Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, paid an official visit to Nepal on 5 May 2024 at the invitation of then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr. Shrestha held bilateral talks with Ms. KAMIKAWA at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two leaders discussed the whole gamut of bilateral relations focusing on enhancing economic and development cooperation as well as cultural and people-to-people relations in the days ahead. During her visit, Ms. KAMIKAWA also paid courtesy calls on Rt. Hon. President Mr. Ramchandra Paudel and then Prime Minister Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. Matters of mutual interest including further strengthening bilateral relations and expanding development cooperation were discussed on the occasion.
Development Cooperation
Japan has been contributing to the socio-economic development of Nepal since 1954. Japan assists Nepal in the forms of bilateral grant, bilateral loan, multilateral aid, and technical assistance. It also provides concessional loan for the infrastructure development in Nepal. The major areas of Japanese economic cooperation to Nepal include human resource development, health, agriculture development, infrastructure development, environment protection and culture, among others.
Japan attaches importance to the improvement of basic infrastructure in such areas as power generation, roads, bridges, water supply facilities, telecommunications, etc. The construction of Sindhuli Road is one of the key projects under the Japanese development cooperation.
Japan has also provided extensive loan assistance to Nepal such as for the Kulekhani (I and II) Hydro-power Station, Kali Gandaki 'A' Hydroelectric Station, Udaypur Cement Industry, and Melamchi Water Supply Project.
Under the scheme of concessional loan for the infrastructure development in Nepal, the ongoing projects, include Nagdhunga Tunnel, Improvement of Water Supply Project and Intersection Improvement Projects.
The Government of Japan started providing technical training to Nepali students since Japan joined the Colombo Plan in 1954. Japan also provides Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) and Senior Volunteers to Nepal under JICA Volunteer Program. JOCV Nepal program was launched in 1970.
The social sector of Nepal has been one of the priority areas of Japan's Official Development Assistance (ODA). Japan has provided assistance to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, National Tuberculosis Center, Kanti Children's Hospital, etc. Assistance in primary health care including maternal and childcare is considered important in the health sector of Nepal.
On human resource development, Japan has been providing annual scholarships to Government officials of Nepal in various fields under the Japan Development Scholarship (JDS) scheme starting from 2016.
Trade and Investment
Japan is one of the important trading partners of Nepal. Nepal’s major exports to Japan include pashmina products, ready-made garments, woolen goods, carpets, handicrafts, Nepali paper and paper products, leather goods, and silverware and ornaments. Likewise, Nepal’s major imports from Japan include vehicles and spare parts, electronic goods, machinery and equipment, iron and steel products, photographic goods, medical equipment and fabric. There is an ample scope of collaboration in trade sector by introducing Japanese production process or integrating product development by exporting niche raw materials to Japan.
Nepal is making preparation for an active participation in the 2025 World Expo to be held in Osaka, Japan in 2025 including through display of competitive Nepali products.
Japan is one of the major investors and major source countries for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Nepal. The Japanese side is interested to invest in various sectors such as hydropower, agriculture and infrastructure building. The infrastructure building includes power generation, roads, airports, bridges, water supply facilities and telecommunications. Several companies under Nepal-Japan joint ventures related to hotels, TV assembly industries, horticulture and construction are operating in Nepal.
Tourism and Culture
Nepal is an attractive destination for Japanese tourists. Lumbini, the Himalayas, age-old traditions and cultural artifacts, temples and genial nature of Nepali people are some of the attractions to the Japanese tourists. Both countries celebrated 2016 as the 60th Anniversary of the first successful ascent to the Mount Manaslu by Japanese Alpinist Minoru Higeta. She had scaled the peak on 11 May1956. Nepal Airlines operates regular flights in Kathmandu-Narita-Kathmandu sector.
The Sagarmatha (Everest) International School, established in Tokyo in April 2013, runs classes from Nursery to Grade 12 and GCE A- level.
The Year 2026 marks as the 70th Anniversary of the establishment of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relations. Various initiatives are being taken to jointly commemorate the occasion.
Bilateral Consultation Mechanism
Nepal and Japan have established the Bilateral Consultative Mechanism between the Foreign Ministries. The Mechanism provides an opportunity for both sides to discuss various aspects of bilateral relations and share views on common issues in regional and multilateral forums. The first and second meetings of the Mechanism were held in March 2015 and June 2016 in Tokyo and Kathmandu respectively. The Memorandum of Cooperation on Conducting Bilateral Consultations was signed in Kathmandu on 9 January 2019 between the two sides during the visit of Foreign Minister of Japan to Nepal. The Fourth BCM Meeting was held on 18 April 2023 in Tokyo in which the Nepali delegation was led by Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa, Joint Secretary of the North East Asia (NEA) Division.
Nepali Diaspora
It is estimated that the number of Nepali nationals living in Japan is over 200,000 as of 2024. Every year a large number of Nepali students go to Japan to pursue higher studies and learn Japanese language. The number of Nepali students studying in Japan ranks in top three among foreign students.
Cooperation in regional and multilateral forums
Japan is an observer to SAARC since April 2007. SAARC-Japan Special Fund (SJSF) has facilitated implementation of many activities. Nepal and Japan have been working closely on the matters of mutual interests and assisting each other to the best of their capacity in the multilateral forums including the United Nations.
North East Asia Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Singh Durbar, Kathmandu
