The Executive Senior Vice President of JICA Dr. Junichi YAMADA (Ph. D.) was on a 3 days visit to Kathmandu, Nepal from 04 to 07 December 2022.

During his visit to Nepal, he held talks with the high-level officials of the Government of Nepal and discussed on the future JICA cooperation policy with Nepal. Additionally, he also observed the activities of ICA supported projects namely Sindhuli Road and Nagdhunga Tunnel Construction Project.

Upon his visit to Nepal, Dr. YAMADA stated that “I always longed to visit Nepal and am delighted to finally come here this time. My brief visit to Nepal has been very fruitful. I got an opportunity to travel through the Sindhuli Road built by Japanese cooperation and also witnessed the progress made in the construction works of the Nagdhunga Tunnel. I was impressed that Sindhuli Road, the construction of which started in 1996, is well utilized and provides good facilities to people. I also had chances to meet some of the high-level officials from various ministries for discussing future opportunities of co-partnership between Nepal and Japan for prospective development projects. I see a lot of potentials to expand Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Nepal significantly for infrastructure projects with Loan assistance to cater to the need of the Nepalese people. ”

Dr. YAMADA’s association with JICA dates back to April 1982 when he joined the OECF (one of the predecessor organizations of JICA) as an employee. He holds substantial experience related to ODA loan projects, especially in countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and India. He has been dispatched to JICA Offices in Myanmar and Malaysia and has held the posts of Director General of the Middle East and Europe Department, Director General of the Operations Strategy Department, and Senior Vice President successively, prior to his current position.

JICA has implemented various cooperation projects, especially in the areas of social and economic infrastructure development, disaster resilience and poverty reduction. Dr. Yamada’s mission in Nepal, therefore, is significant in enhancing future cooperation in Nepal for developing pioneering projects aimed to contribute to the economic growth of the country.