August 01 , 2006

Nepal’s close friend Hashimoto passes away
Former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who is known as a good friend of Nepal, passed away due to multiple organ failure at the International Medical Centre in Tokyo on July 1, 2006. He was 68 and had undergone abdominal surgery in early June this year.
Hashimoto had brought a lot of funds in Nepal on his personal initiative to improve pediatric services and to provide scholarships to the needy students. As the chief of the ongoing Golden Jubilee Celebration of Nepal-Japan Diplomatic Ties in Japan, he was scheduled to visit Nepal in September in this connection.
He had started bringing funds to Nepal ever since his first visit to the country in 1984 when he was a Japanese Diet member. He had continued the mission even when he had become the Prime Minister of Japan in 1996.
The enthusiastic trekker had visited some mountain ranges in Nepal. Japan's Hashimoto Foundation has also provided scholarships to several dozen Nepali students so far.
In 2005, he had retired from politics due to his declining health.