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Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa paid a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel at the President House in Sheetal Niwas today.

On the occasion, President Paudel said Nepal is very much concerned about protecting the Himalayas and sources of water to save the earth and urged the carbon-emitting developed nations to become sensitive for the climate change impacts reduction, the President's press advisor Kiran Poharel quoted the President as saying.

Stating that Nepal and Japan have close cultural ties since the dissemination of the teachings of Gautam Buddha, the Light of Asia, President Paudel said Nepal and Japan have enjoyed trouble-free relations and Nepal has always realized a higher level of goodwill from Japan. 

Saying that Japan was an important and trustworthy partner for Nepal's socioeconomic development, the President expressed confidence that the areas of cooperation and assistance between Nepal and Japan would further expand.

Likewise, the President said that they should give priority to expanding people-to-people relations and viewed that more Japanese tourists would come to visit Nepal due to the religious and cultural proximity between the two countries and also due to Nepal's natural beauties.

On the occasion, Japanese Minister Kamikawa shared that Japan is also worried about the impacts of climate change and all should collaborate to protect the Himalayas of Nepal and other countries.

She added that a massive revolution was imperative in the technology for the use of alternative energy.

Furthermore, the Japanese minister shared that Japan would extend every possible support to Nepal realizing that Nepal's development and stability was needed for this region.

The Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal has split on Sunday.

After the split of Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal led by Upendra Yadav, a new party has been formed under the chairmanship of Ashok Rai, leader Pradeep Yadav told Annapurna Post, sister publication of the Annapurna Express.

JSP Chairman Yadav is currently on a US visit.

Nine lawmakers stood in favor of Rai.

According to Yadav, nine lawmakers representing in the federal Parliament filed an application at the Election Committee for the registration of a new party.

“I and Rai along with Renu Yadav, Nawal Kishor Sah Sudhi, Birendra Mahato, Ranju Kumari, Hasina Khan and Sushila Shrestha among nine lawmakers filed at the Election Committee for the registration of a new party,” Yadav said.

He said that the new party’s name has been proposed as Janata Samaj Party.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa called on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday.

During the meeting, they discussed bilateral relations and mutual interests, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat informed.

The Japanese foreign minister arrived in Kathmandu on a one-day visit this afternoon at the cordial invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

Prior to meeting the Prime Minister, she observed the Basantapur area of Kathmandu.

She spent about half-an hour there, seeing around Kalbhairab, Hanumandhoka and the Nepali cultural heritages and artifacts. She also bought a Buddha statue.

This is Kamikawa's first visit to Nepal after her appointment as Japan's Foreign Affairs Minister.

She will pay a courtesy call on President Ram Chandra Paudel today itself, the Foreign Ministry said.  

The Japanese foreign minister is scheduled to meet the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Shrestha today itself. Minister Shrestha will host a dinner in her honor.

Foreign Minister Kamikawa will leave for Japan tonight via Nepal Airlines plane.

Japan and Nepal have many things in common. One of them is that 70 to 80% of its land area is covered with mountains and hills. Considering Japan's history of constantly facing natural threats due to its steep terrain, I can fully understand, as a Japanese national, how difficult a challenge it is to undertake nation-building in a mountainous country like Nepal, Japan Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said.

The first thing that comes to the minds of the Japanese people when we hear the word "Nepal" is the divinely majestic Himalayan Mountains represented by Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest). Having been born and raised in Shizuoka Prefecture located at the foot of Mt. Fuji, I feel a deep sense of affinity with Nepal, and I am very pleased to be able to visit Nepal for the first time today, she said.

Another thing Japan and Nepal have in common is that both countries are democratic, and Japan has provided various assistance to Nepal's democratization efforts, the Japan’s foreign minister further said.

After the abolition of the monarchy and the transition to a federal democracy was declared in 2008, Japan dispatched election observers to the parliamentary elections.

In addition, Japan has also provided support for the development of the legal system and various other assistance that contribute to the promotion of democracy in Nepal. When I served as Justice Minister, the Ministry of Justice provided training on civil code and the development of civil code commentaries in support of the preparation for a new civil code of Nepal in cooperation with JICA, Minister Kamikawa said.

Both countries also have the same unfortunate history of suffering damages due to earthquakes. That is why, whenever the other side was affected by a major earthquake, our two countries have reached out to each other like family, with special compassion and solidarity. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, Nepal donated 5,000 blankets and our Nepali friends in Japan assisted in the setting up of Nepali soup kitchens as well as provision of Nepali coffee. After the Gorkha Earthquake in 2015, Japan dispatched the Japan Disaster Relief Teams (Urban Search and Rescue Team, Medical Team, and Japan Self-Defense Force Units) and provided an Emergency Grant Aid of approximately 1.68 billion yen as well as Emergency Relief Goods including tents and blankets, she said.

In addition to this emergency humanitarian assistance, Japan provided a total of over 32 billion yen for "Build Back Better" after earthquakes in areas such as reconstruction of schools, residences, and public facilities.

Following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January this year, we received heartfelt messages of sympathy from Nepal. Furthermore, the Nepali people living in Japan rushed to the affected areas many times to offer their support, and with the words "Friends should help each other in tough times" they cooked spicy curry to warm and encourage the hearts and bodies of the residents there amid heavy snow and severe cold weather. As Foreign Minister of Japan, I would like to express my profound gratitude to the Nepali people for their warm support and sympathy for Japan, the Japanese foreign minister said.

Japan and Nepal have also faced a scarcity of natural resources. Thus, both countries need an international community that ensures connectivity is free from force or coercion and values freedom as well as the rule of law regardless of the size of the country. To realize such an international community, it is a prerequisite that each country overcomes its vulnerabilities and builds a resilient society. With this in mind, Japan attaches great importance to Nepal will get on track for sustainable growth and stability.

Based on this idea, Japan has been supporting Nepal's development since 1969 in a wide range of fields, including infrastructure construction such as electricity, roads, airports, and water supply, as well as agriculture, education, and healthcare, with Nepal's geographical and historical background in mind.

The Nagdhunga tunnel, the breakthrough of which has recently been achieved, is Nepal's first mountain road tunnel. Once the construction of the tunnel is completed, it will contribute to the promotion of social and economic development in the region and strongly support Nepal's further development, facilitating the transportation network by meeting the rapidly increasing traffic demand, reducing travel time, and improving transportation safety. Through such assistance in infrastructure, Japan will continue its efforts to ensure that the people of Nepal can experience the safety and convenience of infrastructure in their daily lives, according to Minister Kamikawa.

In recent years, the presence of Nepal across Japan has been on the rise day by day. Over 120 years have passed since the arrival of the first eight Nepali students dispatched by the Government of Nepal in 1902. Today, our two countries are connected by direct flights that take about 7 hours. The total number of Nepalis living in Japan exceeds 170,000, the sixth largest number of foreign nationals living in Japan. I am very pleased to see that our bilateral relationship is steadily deepening thanks to the active participation of our Nepali friends in Japanese society.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to touch on cooperation with Nepal on "Women, Peace and Security" (WPS), which the Japanese government has strongly promoted in recent years and is also my life's work. 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 in prevention as well as humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, while at the same time working to protect vulnerable groups such as women in times of crisis.

The Japanese government is strongly promoting WPS, and I have been involved in various initiatives since I became Foreign Minister. 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. As such, I believe that there is great potential for cooperation with Nepal in the field of WPS. During this visit to Nepal, I would like to explore with Nepal what kind of cooperation is possible in the future.

The year 2026 is the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal, and also the year of Nepal's graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category. As the Foreign Minister of Japan, I would like to further strengthen our relationship with Nepal towards this commemorative year and strongly support Nepal's further development after graduation from the LDC category, she said.