Coinciding with his 66th birthday, Ram Krishna Verma Monday received the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette ” from Japanese Ambassador Mitsuaki Kojima.

The Japanese government conferred the order on Verma “in recognition of his important role in the promotion of cultural exchange between Nepal and Japan,” the Japanese embassy said.

Verma founded the first Japanese language school in Kathmandu in 1965 with three students and nearly 30,000 persons have learnt the language since. There are now 22 schools teaching Japanese language in Nepal.

Verma is also a retired civil servant; he is the third Nepali recipient of the order.