Japan\'s public radio, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), is doing an eight-hour direct broadcast from Nepal on 3 November. The broadcast which is part of NHK's "All-Asia Autumn 2000" programme is to be broadcast throughout Japan on the station's medium wave frequency.

A team of two Japanese technicians and four producers are already in town making last-minute arrangement for the broadcasts. NHK's Nepal Correspondents Miki and Laxman Upreti are providing research and logistical support.

The eight-hour programme will consist of music, talks, interviews and short radio features on lifestyle, nature, culture, trekking, tourism, commerce, industry and aspirations of young Nepalis, among others. An interview with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is also to feature in the broadcast.

For jungle safari, NHK's producers will be taking the Japanese audience to Chitwan. The trekking part will focus on Pokhara and the surrounding hills. Also featured will be wayside eateries from Patan's Durbar Square to restaurants in Kathmandu's posh tourist hotels.

And because any programme on Nepal will be incomplete without the mountains, NHK's producers will also have a segment on mountain flights with former Miss Nepal, Niru Shrestha, piloting Buddha Air's Beech 1900Ds.

All NHK producers are willing to concede is that the entire effort is "only a nice coincidence" but for a foreign station to devote an entire day's programming on a country 5,000 kilometres away also speaks of growing Japanese interest in Nepal.

NHK broadcasts are listened to by about 20 million people every day. The station, which has been promoting the programme in newspapers, radio, television and the Internet as one that would provide "a realistic picture of Nepal", hopes to double listenership on D-day.

The broadcasts will be conducted live from the studios of Radio Nepal, which is providing technical support in the effort.