Recently elected president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan, Rosario Pedicini has committed to further strengthen business ties between Italy and Japan following the huge challenges that resulted from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The past two years were very difficult as you can imagine because of the Covid situation. But in 2022, we saw a recovery, I have to say. We, as a chamber, were very good in coping with new situation,” said Pedicini, who has lived in Tokyo since 2019 and credits his subscription to the Japan Times for his clear grasp of Japan’s business landscape.
”We support not only Italian companies coming to Japan, but also Japanese companies going to Italy,” he added.
In operation for more than 50 years, the ICCJ’s main goal is to create business opportunities for its 200-plus Italian members, many of which are small and medium-sized companies that may not have the same inside knowledge and ability to establish connections within the Japanese business community.
Meanwhile, Japanese companies have sought the ICCJ’s help to penetrate industries beyond the “three Fs” (food, fashion, and Ferrari).
“Italy has a lot of small companies. The fact that they are small allows them to be very flexible, even in the production. They are also found in different sectors that are not as known, such as machinery,” said Pedicini, who heads banking group Intesa Sanpaolo’s operations in Japan.
Pedicini has seen among Japanese businesses a keen interest in Italian-made innovation in cars, drones, and solar power technology.
