Japanese Experts Visit Bhutan to Support Establishment of Natural History Museum

Japanese Experts Visit Bhutan to Support Establishment of Natural History MuseumThimphu, Bhutan – 16 July 2026

As part of the ongoing collaboration between the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) and leading Japanese research and museum institutions, a team of distinguished Japanese experts visited Bhutan from 8 to 15 July 2026. The visit aimed to provide technical support for the foundational work required for the establishment of Bhutan’s Natural History Museum.

The visiting delegation comprised the following experts:

Natsuhiko YOSHIKAWA, Ph.D. Curator, Department of Zoology National Museum of Nature and Science Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, Japan

Masakatsu TAIRA, DVM, PhD Senior Research Scientist Department of Veterinary Science National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS), Tokyo, Japan

Takeo YAMAUCHI, Ph.D. Associate Professor Division of Ecology and Environmental Science Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Hokkaido, Japan

During their week-long stay, the Japanese experts worked closely with NBC staff and contributed significantly to strengthening national capacity in biodiversity documentation and specimen collection management. Their key contributions included:

• Establishing a scientific baseline for the inventory and documentation of Bhutan’s invertebrate biodiversity.
• Assessing and evaluating existing specimen collections, preservation, cataloguing, and management protocols in Bhutan, while providing expert recommendations on international best practices for biodiversity specimen collections and management.
• Delivering specialized training on amphibian and reptile survey techniques.
• Conducting comprehensive training on tick collection, preservation, and morphological identification for NBC and National Centre for Animal Health (NCAH) teams, including both theoretical sessions and practical demonstrations of various collection methods.
• Performing field assessments and hands-on specimen collection exercises to support the development of reference collections.
• Building national capacity through practical training for Bhutanese researchers and technical staff in invertebrate taxonomy, specimen collection, preservation techniques, curation, and scientific documentation.

The visit marks another important milestone in the bilateral cooperation between Bhutan and Japan in the field of biodiversity conservation and natural history research. The knowledge and technical expertise shared by the Japanese team will play a crucial role in advancing the establishment of the Natural History Museum and enhancing Bhutan’s overall capacity in systematic biodiversity documentation.

The National Biodiversity Centre extends its sincere appreciation to the visiting experts and their respective institutions for their valuable support and continued partnership.