<Research Note>Soft Power and the Role of Higher Education in Shaping of Nepal-Japan Relations

Abstract

Nowadays, many countries regard that higher education as the best way to promote their national interests in contemporary international politics. Especially big powers started to pay special attention and importance to the use of education as an effective instrument/source of soft power. The foreign students after returning to their home country, often become “third party” or “effective transmitters” of the culture of their host countries, as well as they contribute their advanced knowledge and ideas which they gained from other countries on their nation's development. This paper explores the relationship between soft power and higher education; unique characteristics of Japanese foreign policy for internationalization of higher educations and then, its contributions in shaping the bilateral relations between Japan and Nepal and hence further enhancing Japan's soft power and public diplomacy. In this manner, it aims to contribute to broader research and policy discussions on the internationalization of higher education. Japan has also been contributing paramountcy in Nepal's socioeconomic development through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) in the forms of grant and technical and loan assistance. As financial engagement is known as a tool of Hard Power, however, Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)'s technical training, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Monbukagakushō), also known as MEXT or Monbushō Scholarship, the Project for Human Resources Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid (JDS), and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellowship programs and the Japan Foundation exchange programs has been amassing a quite big number of human resources for Nepal, which is known as Soft Power of Japan through Hard Power investment. And those Nepalese who have become acquainted with Japanese society and culture, become members of JICA Alumni Association Nepal (JAAN) and Japanese Universities Alumni Association Nepal (JUAAN) after returning to Nepal and have played a vital role in promoting cultural tides and developing mutual understanding between the people of the two countries.