Nepal Gets 2.853 Billion Yen for Tribhuvan Airport Air Traffic Control

The Government of Japan and the Government of Nepal have exchanged notes regarding a grant for the Air Traffic Control Facility Improvement Project at Tribhuvan International Airport. The exchange took place in Kathmandu on October 8, 2026, and the summary was published in the Official Gazette on November 4, 2026, as Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notice No. 327. The maximum amount of the grant is 2.853 billion yen, with a provision deadline of December 31, 2034 (Reiwa 16).

The notice was published under the name of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the “Other Notices” section of the Official Gazette and was issued in the name of Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi. The title is “Matter concerning the Exchange of Notes between the Government of Japan and the Government of Nepal regarding a Grant for the Air Traffic Control Facility Improvement Project at Tribhuvan International Airport,” and it serves to publicly notify the citizens of the contents of an international commitment established through the diplomatic exchange of notes.

Purpose of Control Facility Improvement at the International Airport in the Capital, Kathmandu

The purpose and content of the cooperation indicated in the notice is the purchase of products and services necessary to implement the Air Traffic Control Facility Improvement Project at Tribhuvan International Airport. It was explicitly stated that the framework for the grant covers the procurement of equipment and services required for the execution of the improvement plan, rather than the construction of the facilities themselves.

Located in Nepal’s capital, this airport is the center of the country’s international aviation, and the improvement of control facilities directly impacts operational safety and processing capacity. Since the signatory on the Japanese side was the head of the diplomatic mission, it is confirmed that this was conducted as an exchange of notes between governments.

Maximum Amount of 2.853 Billion Yen and Provision Deadline Conditions

The primary conditions listed in the notice are as follows:

• Purpose and content of cooperation: Purchase of products and services necessary to implement the Air Traffic Control Facility Improvement Project at Tribhuvan International Airport
• Maximum amount of grant: 2.853 billion yen
• Provision deadline of grant: December 31, 2034
• Signatory (Japan side): Toru Maeda, Ambassador to Nepal
• Signatory (Nepal side): Ghanshyam Upadhyaya, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance of Nepal

The maximum amount sets the upper limit of the grant, and actual expenditures will be made according to the implementation of the plan. The fact that the provision deadline is set approximately eight years from now suggests that a certain period has been anticipated for the procurement and installation of equipment.

Intergovernmental Commitments Published in the Form of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notifications

This matter was published in the form of a Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notification, rather than as a treaty or a cabinet order. Unlike the promulgation of a treaty, this is a procedure to notify the Official Gazette of the outline of commitments made through an exchange of letters; therefore, the date of the notification, November 4, Reiwa 8, serves as the date of public notice for domestic purposes.

Simultaneously, the Official Gazette published Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notification No. 328, regarding the notification of the addition of the Special Income Tax for Defense to the amending protocol of the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. In the “Other Notifications” column of the same day, various diplomatic and international tax matters were listed.

This grant constitutes Japan’s external commitment as grant aid implemented through an exchange of letters with the government of the partner country. As support for air traffic control—a field directly linked to safety—and given the scale of the limit amount, this project is positioned as having a certain weight within the bilateral relationship. The status of implementation will need to be verified sequentially through future Official Gazette notices and related announcements.

Source: Official Gazette (dated November 4, Reiwa 8) “Other Notifications,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notification No. 327 “Exchange of Notes between the Government of Japan and the Government of Nepal concerning the Grant etc. for the Air Traffic Control Facilities Development Project at Tribhuvan International Airport,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi.