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At a time when Japan’s economy was in bubble stage, and the people were considering TV, washing machine, refrigerator as necessities at their homes, a Japanese youth, an agriculture expert was writing development plans in a remote village in Bhutan under a lamp-light lit from pine extract. The agricultural development in Bhutan and Japan-Bhutan relationship came out as a one man initiative of this planner, Keiji Nishioka.In 1962,  the then Prime Minister of Bhutan Jigme Palden Dorji  made a request to one of his Japanese friends, Nakao Sasuke, for an agriculture expert to plan agricultural development in Bhutan. Sasuke recommended one of his students, Keiji Nishioka. Keiji was familiar with Himalayas through his expeditions. One fine day in 1962, he and his wife Satoko reached the Prime Minister’s residence, the Bhutan House in Kalimpong. His destiny was penned that day. Two years later, the couple left industrialized Japan for rural Bhutan. They flew to Calcutta airport and then to Hashimara from where a  jeep sent by Bhutanese government took them to Paro where  destiny was waiting for them. Then, he was 31. Initially, he worked as a member of Japan's Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency (now JICA) under the Colombo Plan. His earlier days were  more challenging than imagined. He was in a remote area. He had to work with boss and colleagues from India who were cynical to believe that an expert from an island country has anything to do with the mountanous country than waste the resources. He either had to quit or prove them wrong. He started a small experimental farm, hired young boys as apprentices and began promoting  products from his farm.  He used  Japanese seeds and the products attracted the farmers. Year by year, he increased the size of the farm, and amount and varieties of products.  He experimented Japanese rice, large cabbage and long radish, grew asparagus, onion, potato, tomato, melon, watermelon, apple, cherry, grapes, persimmon, peach, pear, strawberry and everything the climate permitted.  He grew improved varieties of vegetables, cereals, fruits and trees, and distributed seeds. The farmers were attracted; he worked with them and initiated selling of vegetable in the market. Before this, farmers had no idea if they had any products that would fetch them money. He took the farmers to markets, as far as to Thimphu and Phuntsholing, to sell their products.

After four years, upon his request, Japanese government started sending farm machineries. He taught improved cultivation methods and management techniques.  In June  1974, during the coronation ceremony of the fourth monarch of Bhutan,  the fresh fruits and vegetables from his farm were on the table for the royal guests.  He walked around the country  observing people’s works, listening to their stories, giving them advices and distributing seeds. He trained youths in farming techinques and sent students to Japan for trainings. He was entrusted the entire development of Shemgang, one of the rural districts, where shifting cultivation was practiced and no rice fields existed.  The district was not connected by roads and his two children were nearing school going age. So, he sent his wife and children to Japan and continued his development exercise in the remote Himalayan mountains. He coordinated Shemgang Integrated Area Development Project; introduced  agar wood from neighbouring Assam in India, cardamum from neighbouring district Gaylegphug; and started their plantation as cash crops. He groomed  apprentices, contructed rice fields, and introduced high yielding varieties of  cereals, fruits and vegetables. Besides agricultural development, he mobilized people’s participation to construct suspension bridges,  irrigation cannals, farm roads, health clinics, senitation and  dessiminated concept of healthy cooking and safe meat preservation methods.  By now he was a national hero  known as Japan “sahib” or the Lord. 

Bhutan and Japan are distinct in many ways, yet Keiji Nishioka chose to seek uniformities. Born on St. Valentine’s day of 1933, educated in Sakuragaoka Primary School in Seoul, Korea, Yao Junior High School in Osaka and Osaka Prefecture University,  Keiji spent his life serving the farmers of Bhutan.   In 1980, the monarch conferred  him with red scarf and a title of ‘Dasho’ equivalent to  ‘Sir’, for his selfless service, making him the first foreigner to earn the title.  In 1983, an international airport was built near to his farm, in Paro. Three years later, Japan and Bhutan signed a formal diplomatic tie and a year later in 1987, Japanese Prince Naruhito visited Bhutan. In all these mega events, Dasho  Keiji Nishioka was the center of  talks and the farm established by him was a ‘must-visit’ venue. After twenty eight years of restless work, on 21St March 1992, a toothache stole away his soul from his body in Thimphu hospital. On 26th March a state funeral in his name saw the the paro valley drenched with the tears of the farmers and officers alike and the whole nation was soaked in grief. In 1999, he was awarded  Druk Thugsey Award posthumously, for his meritious contributions to the development of agriculture productions in the country.  Today, Nishioka bridge in Shemgang, Bonday farm in Paro, Agriculture machinery Centre, National Seed and Plant Protection Program, roads, hospitals, thousand of fruit trees, hundreds of agriculture veterans, high yelding varieties of rice, vegetables, fruits and trees, made-in-Japan farm machineries and automobiles all over the nation are the results of his  vision and dedicated service to the mankind. The name of Dasho Keiji Nishioka ties the people and governments of Japan and Bhutan with hearty spiritual knot initiated by him.  …………..