Kathmandu, Feb 3: President Ram Chandra Paudel has invited Japan’s business community to explore investment and trade opportunities in Nepal, assuring full government support, facilitation, and protection for foreign investors.
Addressing an interaction with Japanese business leaders in Tokyo on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relations, President Paudel said Nepal seeks a close partnership with Japan’s private sector and is ready to assist investors at every step.
He said Nepal has built a stable macroeconomic setting with attractive returns, easy profit repatriation, and smooth capital movement. The government, he added, remains committed to uninterrupted facilitation, security, and cooperation for foreign investment.
Calling the 70th anniversary a timely moment to expand cooperation for mutual benefit, the President referred to the shared cultural link inspired by Gautam Buddha’s philosophy of peace. He urged Japanese firms to invest with confidence in areas such as agriculture, water resources, and tourism, saying such cooperation would benefit both countries. “Investment in Nepal brings economic gain and moral satisfaction,” he said, noting the long-standing goodwill and friendship between Nepal and Japan.
President Paudel praised Japan’s decades long support as a reliable development partner, saying bilateral ties have grown beyond government level to strong people to people relations. He said Nepal’s current efforts focus on political stability, social justice, good governance, and public prosperity.
He noted that Nepal is set to graduate from least developed country status by the end of this year and aims to become a middle-income country by 2030. Achieving these goals, he said, requires large resources, stronger foreign investment in national priority sectors, trade growth, diversified connectivity, tourism promotion, and access to advanced technology. He stressed that no country can progress without close cooperation between the government and the private sector at home, and partnerships abroad.
Nepal has opened almost all sectors to foreign investment, including production, hydropower, tourism, services, information technology, mining, and agriculture-based industries. He said wide legal, procedural, and institutional reforms are in place to ease trade, attract investment, and support innovation.
The President said the Investment Board Nepal provides one-stop services to large investors, and independent assessments by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and global rating agencies show that Nepal offers one of South Asia’s most favourable business environments. He also highlighted Nepal’s location between India and China as an added advantage for investors.
At the program, Acting Ambassador to Japan Hariharikant Paudel delivered welcome remarks, while Foreign Ministry Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and Joint Secretary Bhrigu Dhungana presented Nepal’s investment prospects. Several Japanese business representatives said they were encouraged to learn about Nepal’s broad investment opportunities and saw the interaction as a step toward opening new avenues for investment.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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