Nepal and Japan marked the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations amid a function in the Capital on Thursday.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the ceremony attended by ministers, visiting Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi and heads of diplomatic missions and Nepal’s development partners.

On the occasion, Minister for Information and Communications Surendra Kumar Karki and the Japanese state minister jointly affixed the first cancellation mark on the postage stamp issued to commemorate the diamond jubilee of the establishment of Nepal-Japan diplomatic relations.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat said Nepal-Japan relations are based on mutual trust and cordial cooperation. He praised Japan for continued support to Nepal’s social and economic development endeavours.

Japanese assistance to infrastructure development, modernisation of agro sector, human resource development, air safety and school reform was commendable, he said.

Japan’s State Minister Kishi pledged all possible help for the holistic development of Nepal. “Nepal’s majestic mountains and natural bounties and its people have always touched the hearts and minds of the Japanese,” he said.