Ahead of the G-7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima in May, the host country Japan has identified the several challenges facing the international community: energy and food security; regional security affairs, including Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific; nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation; economic security, climate change; global health; and development.
The event will be important for Italy. It will be the first G7 summit of Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, who will assume next year the rotating presidency of the group of seven most industrialized countries in the world.
Meanwhile, the two nations continue their work top strengthen a long-running, fruitful economic relations.
“Milan in Northern Italy remains an important economic center in the country and the majority of Japanese companies are located here. So, we believe that any effort to bring Japan and Italy closer will focus on the economy and on Northern Italy,” Consul General of Japan in Italy Yuji Amamiya said.
Amamiya asked the Consulate General to set up the Japanese Business Support Desk, whose main task is to provide support and assistance to all Japanese companies across the eight regions of Northern Italy, including Milan.
However, the Japanese diplomat stressed that other points of bilateral collaboration will not be neglected, like science, technology, and medicine.
“Ever since Osaka and Milan signed a twin city agreement in 1981, they have deepened their relations in a wide range of fields, including the culture and the arts. We would like to support activities that will increase not only economic but also cultural exchanges between Japan and Northern Italy, with special focus on the upcoming events such as the Osaka Kansai Expo in 2025 and the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in 2026,” Amamiya said.
With overseas travel getting back to pre-pandemic levels, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has focused its promotions in Italy more than in any other European country.
