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COVER STORY |
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COVER STORY |
JAPANESE
ASSISTANCE Although Nepal receives
assistance from scores of countries, Japan stands out as being the largest bilateral donor
whose imprint can be witnessed from big hydroelectric projects to small schools and from
mammoth water supply projects to grass-root assistance in the development of particular
species of fruits. Moreover, Nepalese regard Japanese as their friend in need who have
come to their rescue time and again. Whether it be the immediate construction of new
Bagmati bridge after the old one caved in, in the early 1990s or the debt relief, the
benevolence of Japan, which itself emerged as a global economic giant from the ruins of
the Second World war, has been noted positively. As Nepal is once again in the crossroads
and scenario of reconstruction loom large, an active and willing participation by friends
like Japan, which has experience in similar national reconstruction, can go a long way in
changing the face of Nepal By SANJAYA DHAKAL Ask any Nepalese what he or she thinks
about Japan, and the first word that pops out is generosity. Generosity without strings
attached. Their calculation is derived from the fact
that Japan provided over Rs.176,000 million (or US$ 2,200 million) in total assistance
since 1969, out of the total foreign aid of Rs.202,588.3 million (or US$5215.68 million)
Nepal received in foreign aid from 1950/51 till 2000/01 (according to figures quoted in
the second edition of Eugene Bramer Mihaly's Foreign Aid and Politics in Nepal). Since
1980, Japan has been the largest bilateral donor to Nepal, helping in every sphere of the
country's development endeavors. The area of Japanese cooperation to Nepal
is far and wide. Health, education, human resource development, infrastructure,
environment - Japan has extended valuable help in all these sectors.
The landmarks of Japanese assistance
are highly visible. Teaching Hospital, Kanti Children's Hospital, radar facilities at
Tribhuvan International Airport, Sajha buses, horticultural and agricultural technology
transfer, Kulekhani I & II hydropower plants, new Bagmati bridge, improvements of
traffic intersections in Kathmandu city and so on. Another characteristic of Japanese aid has
been its variety. From the multi-million-rupee Kulekhani project to a simple school block
construction in village, Japanese aid has penetrated deep into Nepalese society. "We not only help in big projects but
also like to assist in small grass-root projects of health and education, which can
directly benefit the rural community," said Haruko Kamei, Assistant Resident
Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nepal Office. Exchange of experts has been another vital
area of Japanese assistance. Japanese experts in technology and horticulture have had a
great impact on Nepal's socio-economy. "It was Japanese technology transfer that
triggered strawberry farming here. Likewise, their expertise in grafting and
cross-breeding has helped in the productivity of many kinds of fruits, vegetables and even
fisheries," said Kailash Pradhan, an official at the Economic Cooperation Section of
the Japanese Embassy. It was not for nothing that a hundred years
ago, then Rana Prime Minister Dev Sumsher sent a group of Nepalese students to learn
Japanese know-how. History Of Japanese Assistance Japan is relatively a late entrant to a
plethora of donor countries that had started lending their hand in Nepal's development
efforts after it opened up to outside world in 1950. After the first-ever foreign
assistance to Nepal in 1950, when the American government gave $2,000 aid to then Rana
regime, which incidentally collapsed a month later, a band of foreign countries joined in
the bilateral assistance programs.
From the 1950s to the late 1960s,
countries like India, China, US and then Soviet Union helped Nepal build roads, develop
health and educational services and improve human resources. But most of the aid was,
rightly or wrongly, seen in the light of the existing international political and
geo-strategic considerations. Many say Nepal was coddled by various countries for its
unique geo-strategic location. "Since 1951, aid grew by leaps and
bounds. During the 1950s and 60s in the form of grants, but the proportion of loans
increased subsequently. For instance, the country's first foreign loans in 1964 comprised
just 10 percent of the total foreign aid, a proportion that began to rise steeply in the
1970s and by the mid-80s had began to exceed the grant component (in 1984, loan
constituted 35 percent of the total foreign aid, in 1990, 75 percent and almost 80 percent
in 1994). From the mid-1990s due to greater involvement of INGOs, the proportion of loan
is decreasing but still in 2000 it constituted 67 percent of the total foreign aid. In the
early years, US and India were major donors. The UK, Switzerland, China, UN joined in 60s.
Then Soviet Union, West Germany and Japan came in 1970s later Nordic, Scandinavia, also
came," writes Sudhindra Sharma, scholar, in his introductory chapter of Eugene Bramer
Mihaly's Foreign Aid and Politics in Nepal (second edition). "Foreign aid as an instrument of
financing socio-economic development dates back to mid-50s when Nepal embarked on the
process of planned development with the launching of the First Five Year Development Plan
(1956-61)," states the Foreign Aid Policy 2002. "Since then a substantial
portion of development expenditure averaging about 55 percent per annum has been financed
through foreign aid. Currently, foreign assistance remains around 5-6 percent of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) annually, and finances about 25-30 percent of total government
expenditure. In terms of sectoral distribution of foreign aid, agriculture, forestry and
fisheries have received the largest share followed by energy, transport, health social
development and human resource development." It was in 1969 that the fast emerging Japan
first offered loan assistance to Nepal. But in no time, Japan began to increase the
dimension and scope of its assistance and soon became the largest bilateral donor to
Nepal. In 2000/2001 alone, Japan gave Rs.5,326
million worth of grant assistance out of total Rs.33,227 foreign aid including both
multilateral and bilateral aid. The total bilateral assistance in the period stood at
Rs.18,438 million, according to Binod Bahadur Karki, an official at the Foreign Aid
Coordination Division at the Ministry of Finance. On average, Japan has been providing
over one-third of the total bilateral assistance to Nepal.
According to Kazumi Suzuki, Charge
d'Affaires at the Japanese Embassy, Japan has been providing assistance in three different
forms - loans (for big infrastructures), grant aid (normal projects for health, education
etc) and technical assistance. The composition of its assistance has been 58 percent grant
aid, 24 percent loan and 18 percent technical assistance. "We are satisfied with the
success of our projects," said . "As a close friend and development
partner of Nepal, Japan has been assisting His Majesty's Government of Nepal in its
efforts to alleviate poverty and achieve sustainable economic development through economic
and technical cooperation for over three decades. Basically, Japan's assistance is
designed to support Nepal's democratization process and socio-economic development under a
market-oriented economic system," said Saburo Sato, chief of the Economic Cooperation
Section at the Japanese Embassy. Of late, Japan's assistance has mostly come
as grant. Apart from Kulekhani I and II and Udayapur Cement, most other projects are of
grant type. "Besides, Japanese government has been providing debt relief fund to
relieve pressures for the payment of even those loans," said a Finance Ministry
official. "Currently, Japan is suffering from an
economic slowdown and our government has cut down its foreign assistance level. Still, we
hope to continue our efforts to help Nepal in whatever way we can," said Suzuki. Reconstruction In the last seven years of violent
insurgency, the country is said to have lost $300 million-400 million worth of
infrastructures in the mindless destruction of bridges, hydro power stations,
communication facilities, even drinking water projects and heath posts. If the current cease-fire opens the path to
lasting peace, the country will have to once again engage in the mammoth task of
nation-building, where it will definitely require the help and guidance from its friends
and supporters. As Japan successfully rebuilt its country
after the devastation in the Second World War when it was nuclear bombed twice, its
experience and skills can be invaluable to Nepal. "The way Japan emerged from the
ruins is spectacular. Nepal must share Japanese experience in this regard," said a
sociologist. "Long-time poverty and economic
stagnation have caused people's frustration toward the government. Therefore, the Nepalese
government's efforts in social and economic development seems as important as its efforts
on restoration of peace and security. We will seek ways of assisting the government of
Nepal in dealing with this peace process so that it may contribute to the fruitful result.
In order to reduce the problem of poverty, we need to consider two types of support
programs- short-term support (such as the support in the insurgency affected area) and
medium and long-term support (such as assistance to tackle the fundamental cause of
poverty and achieve economic development). In particular, to reduce poverty and to improve
the living standard of people it is necessary to increase school enrollment, strengthen
human resources development and provide infrastructure for industrial development,
including tourism," said Zenji Kaminaga, ambassador of Japan to Nepal. Already the chief of JICA's Nepal Office,
speaking at a public program recently, indicated that the agency was willing to consider
extending help in the reconstruction of communication facilities that were destroyed if
the government approaches it with specific plans. Besides, sharing Japan's experience of
dealing with the stress of rebuilding a nation can go a long way in eliminating root
causes like poverty and unemployment. "After the Second World War, Japanese people
had one agenda - that of rebuilding their country. The hard work and perseverance paid
off," said Takashi Yokoyama, the cultural attachÈ at the Embassy. With friends like Japan backing its
development efforts, the Nepalese can expect to recover from its traumatic past and pave
way for prosperous future - but only if they are united in their endeavor. MANOHARA PROJECT Japan extends help to build
a water supply project aimed at providing relief to parched Kathmanduites before Melamchi
comes to their rescue By SANJAYA DHAKAL With the objective of providing relief to
the thirsty Kathmanduites, the Japanese government has helped in the construction of
Manohara project. As a part of its objective to assist in the socio-economic development
of Nepal, the Japanese government have been helping in the drinking water schemes in the
country.
The first phase of the Project for
Improvement of Kathmandu Water Supply Facilities is almost complete. The project is
expected to provide additional 20.6 million liters of water daily (MLD) to the main
supply. "In the first phase of the project, we
have collected the sub-surface water of Manohara stream in the wells and subjected it to
standard water treatment facility. This phase, which will be operational within a month,
will provide water to residents of neighboring Madhyapur Thimi and Bhaktapur," said
Kaushal Nath Bhattarai, general manager of Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC). According to project manager M.N. Baidya,
more than 45,000 residents of the area will be directly benefited by the first phase,
which alone had cost Rs 650 million. The Japanese government has already agreed to help in
the second phase of the project, too. "Upon the completion of the second
phase in early 2004, we will supply an extra 13 MLD of water to Kathmandu. In the second
phase, which will cost around 7 million US dollars, we will have to construct modern and
huge elevated tanks in Minbhawan and Anamnagar, where the water from Manohara will be
supplied through trunk pipes," said Bhattarai. According to Bhattarai, the additional
water will be particularly helpful as it will provide relief to those 2,22,000 residents
of Kathmandu who have to suffer the scarcity most like in Baneshwore, Koteshwore,
Sankhamul etc. "It's very good that the Japanese
government is helping in this project which will directly benefit ordinary people like us.
We are terribly suffering from scarcity of water in dry season from March till the monsoon
sets in," said Keshav Bhandari, a resident of New Baneshwore. In his locality water
comes to the taps once every three days and when it comes every member of his family
scramble to collect it in buckets and what have you. The onset of dry season triggers acute
water shortage in the Kathmandu valley. The residents of densely populated localities like
New Baneshwore, Maitidevi, Koteshwore and so on can be seen reeling under the problem
most. The empty taps and wells fly in the face of
popular political slogan that Nepal is rich in water resources. For more than half a dozen
year now, Kathmanduites have been promised enough water once Melamchi project completes.
But this multi-billion rupees project does not appear in the immediate scene. "It may
be completed only by 2010," said a senior NWSC official. The ambitious Melamchi project aims to
bring water from Melamchi river in the north-east of Kathmandu valley. The project expects
to bring in 170 MLD of water. At present the total water demand of the valley is 190 MLD.
"We have only been able to supply 130 MLD in wet season and 90 MLD in dry season so
this additional 20 MLD from the Manohara comes in very handy," said Bhattarai. He also said that the utility of Manohara
project will not diminish even after Melamchi becomes operational. "In 2010, our
water demand will have shot up to 260 MLD so apart from 170 MLD from Melamchi, we will
always need the existing supply to meet the demand. This is where the long-term utility of
projects like Manohara can be justified." JOCV VOLUNTEERS Youngsters from Japan come
in their dozens and engage in rural socio-economic development By SANJAYA DHAKAL in Bharatpur Mami Kodawaki has been working with other
nurses at the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Chitawan for the last eight months.
She is here on a two-year assignment as JOCV. Likewise Chiaka Ueda, another JOCV in the
hospital, too, has been working for the last eight months. Fluent in Nepalese language, Mami, who has
been given a Nepali name of Maya by her colleagues, is dedicated to her duty. "The
culture here is little different than in Japan. The patients look different. Mostly they
are very poor and needy. Otherwise, our duty is same," said Mami in fluent Nepali.
Every year Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) places advertisements in Japanese newspapers calling for
interested Japanese youngsters to apply for Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV)
jobs. And every year there is a long queue of prospective volunteers who want to come to
this beautiful Himalayan kingdom and engage in socio-economic development of its far-flung
villages. Many JOCVs engage in health, education and
other development sectors in various districts of the country. "Most of them come on
a two-year assignment and most of them extend their stay by another year. I have seen many
of them return again and again to Nepal. Such is their attachment to this country,"
said Dilli Ratna Shakya, general secretary of JICA Alumni Association of Nepal (JAAN), who
manages the assignments of JOCVs. Most JOCVs are young and have just entered
in their career. In fact, Japanese government encourages its youth to explore the lives of
people in developing world so that they do not get spoilt by wealth and richness and do
not take their progress for granted. Such assignments help in the overall development of
their personality and makes them better human beings. Once these volunteers return to
their native, their career prospects become brighter. Deepa, whose real name is Kimiko Ijima, has
been engaged in providing reproductive health knowledge to rural women in Bharatpur.
"I share knowledge and skill with my counterparts in the Family Planning Association
in Bharatpur. According to Takashi Yokoyama, cultural
attachÈ at the Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu, there are 41 JOCVs currently in Nepal
working in different fields. "Our JOCVs have been helping in the socio-economic
development of many countries including Nepal," said Yokoyama. Till 2001, 767 JOCVs
have lent their assistance in Nepal. Akin to Peace Corps of America, the JOCVs
have been making discernible imprints on various spheres of Nepalese society. Due to their
easy-going approach and desire to learn Nepalese culture, they are closely absorbed by any
community where they go. ‘We Will Seek Ways Of Assisting
Nepal In Dealing With The Peace Process’ - Zenji Kaminaga Zenji Kaminaga is the
ambassador of the Japan to the Kingdom of Nepal. Follows excerpts of his interview with
the SPOTLIGHT: How do you find the relations
between Japan and Nepal?
I am extremely pleased with the
ever-growing relations of friendship and cooperation between Japan and Nepal. It widely
ranges from the close ties between the Imperial Family of Japan and the Royal Family of
Nepal as I mentioned earlier, the frequent exchanges of personnel both at a governmental
and private level and to economic and technical cooperation. I am happy to say that Japan
and Nepal have been enjoying a century old unblemished friendly ties. Since the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Nepal in 1956, the Government of
Japan has been extending various types of cooperation to His Majesty's Government for its
socio-economic development. Recently, the Japanese Government is supporting the efforts
made by the Government of Nepal towards the restoration of peace in the country. Japan and
Nepal have also been enjoying cordial relations at people to people level which is based
on the basis of social and cultural similarities. Rev. Ekai Kawaguchi, the first recorded
Japanese who ever visited Nepal in 1899, is characterized as the founder of such relations
between the two countries. Just three years after his visit, the Government of Nepal sent
eight Nepali students to Japan in 1902 for studies and I am very grateful to say that this
year also marks the 100th anniversary of their visit to Japan. Japan is Nepal's largest bilateral
donor. What are the areas in which it has helped Nepal? As a close friend and development partner
of Nepal, Japan has been assisting His Majesty's Government of Nepal in its efforts for
alleviating poverty and achieving sustainable economic development through economic and
technical cooperation for over three decades. Basically, Japan's assistance is designed to
support Nepal's democratization process and socio-economic development under the market
oriented economic system. Japan has been the largest bilateral donor to Nepal since 1980
and it has provided over 264 billion Japanese yen (approx. NRs. 176 billion, or US $ 2.2
billion) in total since 1969. The projects and programs under Japanese ODA have been
successful in achieving their targets and in addressing the basic human needs of the
people in Nepal and, therefore, Japan is satisfied with the performance of the projects.
The Government of Japan will continue to support the development efforts of Nepal,
wherever possible, in line with the priority areas which have been identified through
mutual dialogues between the two countries. Based on the above-mentioned basic policy,
Japan's ODA have been utilized by Nepal in the priority areas identified through mutual
dialogues in the High Level Policy Consultation meetings between the two countries. There
are five priority areas which are as follows; human resources development; social sector
such as education, health and medical care; agricultural development; basic economic and
social infrastructure; and environmental conservation. Nepal is currently going through a
crisis, a reason of which is also lack of development. How can the Japanese government
help Nepal in overcoming this? Long-time poverty and economic stagnation
have caused people's frustration toward the government. Therefore, the Nepalese
government's efforts on social and economic development seems as important as its efforts
on restoration of peace and security. In this regard, the Japanese government
extended assistance amounting to NRs.832 million as non-project grant aid in (Japanese) FY
2002 with the view to assisting the Nepalese government to carry out different programs,
particularly taking into account the budgetary difficulties of Nepal. As the government
and the insurgency group have entered into the cease-fire agreement, the Government of
Japan welcomes the dialogue between the two parties. Meanwhile, we will seek ways of
assisting the government of Nepal in dealing with this peace process so that it may
contribute to the fruitful result. In order to reduce the problem of poverty, we need to
consider two types of support programs- short-term support (such as the support in the
insurgency affected area) and medium and long-term support (such as assistance to tackle
the fundamental cause of poverty and achieve economic development). In particular, to
reduce poverty and to improve the living standard of people it is necessary to increase
school enrollment, strengthen human resources development and provide infrastructure for
industrial development, including tourism. So many young Japanese people have
come all the way to Nepal from Japan and have engaged in socio-economic development of
Nepal. These youngsters, too, seem to be enjoying their experience here. How do you see
this kind of exchange? How does it help the Japanese youngsters? The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers
(JOCV) program was started in Nepal from 1970 and a total of 767 volunteers had rendered
their services to this country till 2001. These young volunteers with skills in
their own fields such as agriculture, health or education are working together with
Nepalese people at the grassroots level and assisting local people in their self help
efforts. The two-year experience as JOCV also provides them the great opportunity to learn
Nepalese culture and society through the close contact with local people. How do Japanese people view Nepal? The people of Japan are fascinated by Nepal
and its majestic Himalayas. By virtue of being Asians, the culture of both nations
is closely linked through strong spiritual links. In Japan, Nepal is widely known as
the kingdom of Himalayan beauty combined with rich cultural heritage which makes it one of
the attractive travel destinations. Majority of the Japanese are Buddhists and accordingly
they have keen interest in the life of Lord Buddha who was born in Lumbini of this
country. What can be done to further promote
the visit by Japanese tourists to Nepal? Nepal is a beautiful country, blessed with
a diversity of natural beauty such as the scenic Himalayas in addition to its rich
cultural heritage, exotic wildlife, and hospitable people. Japanese people love to visit
Nepal because of its natural beauty and cultural similarities between the two countries.
Japan is the second largest tourist generating country for Nepal and some 41,000
Japanese tourists visited the country in 2001. However, Nepal needs to make some efforts,
for example, in the areas of basic tourism infrastructure such as safe airport facilities
and management, clean sanitary conditions and public toilet system, and healthy waste
disposal system to maintain its beauty and attract more tourists. The present day world
being a competitive one, Nepal ought to augment its competitiveness in terms of tourism
marketing. Many people in Japan do not draw attention to the natural beauty of Nepal and
its cultural heritage. For this, the Nepal Tourism Board needs to make additional
promotional activities in Japan. Opening up a Tourism Information Center in Japan would be
one of the right steps in this regard. |
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editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
