Izumi Miyazaki, Governor of Wakayama Prefecture, visited Lumbini on Sunday, describing it as an inspiring example of peace building and international cultural cooperation. He said he came to Lumbini because its message of peace remains relevant amid contemporary conflicts and divisions.

Miyazaki led an 18-member delegation from Wakayama to mark ten years of sister city relations between Lumbini Development Trust and Koya Town municipality. The delegation offered prayers at the Maya Devi Temple, observed the Ashoka Pillar and lit lamps near the sacred pond, highlighting religious ties between Nepal and Japan.

Officials of the Lumbini Development Trust briefed the visitors on the site’s historical and cultural significance, conservation efforts and the master plan aimed at balancing pilgrimage tourism with heritage protection and sustainability goals.

Miyazaki said Wakayama Prefecture would study possible cooperation in heritage preservation, tourism management and cultural exchange. The visit comes as Nepal seeks greater international engagement in developing Lumbini, which has received investment and support from several Buddhist-majority countries, including Japan, Thailand and Sri Lanka, over decades. Japan has remained a consistent partner in Lumbini’s development, supporting monasteries, infrastructure projects and heritage-related exchanges.

Koya Town, located on Mount Koya in Wakayama, is regarded as a centre of Japanese Buddhism and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The delegation included Wakayama’s vice assembly speaker Fuminari Akizuki, Koya Town mayor Yoshihisa Hirano and heads of monasteries based there, reflecting longstanding religious exchanges between Japanese and Nepali Buddhist communities.