KATHMANDU: The Nepali Embassy in Japan, in collaboration with the Government of Japan and the local business community, has officially launched the Nepal-Japan Development Forum.

The inauguration ceremony took place on September 1, with Tani Kouichi, Japan’s Minister of State for Disaster Management and Ocean Policy, and Dr Durga Bahadur Subedi, the Nepali ambassador to Japan, jointly inaugurated the Forum.

The Forum headed by Motoyuki Odachi, Japan’s former deputy minister of finance, is co- chaired by Sarbashree Yoshiharu, Hiroyuki Fukuyama, Dr Toru Utsumi, Takatoshi Nakamura, Tomohiko Kawamoto and Yosuke Kikuma. Japan-Nepal Parliamentary Friendship Group Chair and ambassador Subedi serves as the honorary patron of the Forum.

The establishment of the Forum primarily aims to facilitate Japan’s cooperation in Nepal’s social, economic and technical development endevours. In addition to this, it seeks to encourage engagement of Japan’s private sector in Nepal’s tourism, energy, agriculture, education, health, and employment sectors.

This collaborative effort aims to enhance investment opportunities and foster a more conducive industrial environment in Nepal.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the state minister of Japan said Nepal-Japan friendship was beyond the official relations as it got extended to the people-to-people level.

“Nepal and Japan enjoy deeper religious, cultural and social ties,” he said, adding that such a historic friendly relation should be further consolidated along with the enhancement of economic relations. The Forum is expected to prove a milestone to this end, it is said.

On the occasion, Ambassador Dr Subedi mentioned that Japan is one of the main partner countries in Nepal’s development and has significant contribution of Japanese government in building foundation of Nepal’s socio-economic development including agriculture, education, energy, transport and communications.

Stating that government of Nepal has put country’s economic development in priority, he shared that it was committed for sustainable development for stability and social transformation.

“The Nepalese government is committed to develop Nepal as one of the highest and attractive destinations for foreign investment and it is effortful to create investment-friendly environment with liberal economic policy”, added Ambassador Dr Subedi.

Similarly, newly appointed Chairperson of the Forum and former Deputy Minister of Finance, Motoyuki Odachi, said it was indispensable to the private sector for its participation in bilateral relation between Japan and Nepal through the medium of trade, investment and employment promotion.

High-ranking officials of Foreign Ministry of Japanese government, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), industrialists, businessmen and heads and representatives of companies, investing in Nepal as well as involved in trade and business were present on the occasion.

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