Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Rome tomorrow on the occasion of the celebrations of the 150 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan.
Minister Kishida’s visit took place at a time when bilateral relations between the two countries are particularly good, with frequent contacts and renewed momentum on sectorial cooperation.
Rome and Tokyo enjoy excellent diplomatic relations, characterized by a positive economic and trade cooperation and resting on common views on many regional and global issues, especially within the G7 – where following Japan in 2016 Italy will assume the G7 rotating presidency in 2017 – and in the G20. The two nations’ top leaders met regularly in the last two years – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met four times.
The Friendship and Trade Treaty between Italy and Japan dates back to 1866 and marks the start of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The anniversary will be celebrated this year in Japan with an extensive program of cultural events, beginning with the opening of two major exhibitions – “Botticelli and His Time” and ““Leonardo Da Vinci: Beyond the Visible.”
