Mattarella in Japan, visit by Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Ishiba

The state visit of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella begins tomorrow, March 3, in the country of the Rising Sun, where a dense agenda of institutional commitments awaits him: in the capital, Tokyo, until March 6 and, subsequently, in Kyoto and Hiroshima, before returning to Rome, March 10. The program includes a meeting, already on Monday evening, with the Italian community of Tokyo, while the day of March 4 will be dominated by institutional commitments starting from the visit to the Imperial Palace, where Mattarella will meet The sovereigns of the Chrysanthemum throne, the emperor Naruhito and the empress Masako. In the afternoon the head of the state will instead be to the national diet for interviews with the presidents of the two chambers. On March 5, Mattarella will visit the headquarters of Keidanren, the Japanese Confindustria, for a meeting with important exponents of the economy and entrepreneurship of the two countries, an event that will prepare the important Italian-Japanese business forum of 13 May, in Rome.

There is no signature of other protocols after those signed in 2023 to promote bilateral economic, industrial and technological cooperation but the stage, followed by the afternoon bilateral with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, will be expected to strengthen the strategic partnership between two countries grappling with common challenges (among all demographic and environmental) and equally threatened by American protectionist policy inaugurated by Trump. Mattarella’s mission will continue between Kyoto and Hiroshima where the president’s agenda will be marked by cultural and commemorative commitments. Above all, the memory of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima 80 years after the tragedy during visits to the memorial, the Museum of Peace and the Association of Survivors, awarded last year of the Nobel Peace. They will be further moments of important exchanges which, presumably, will also leave room for a political reflection on the present and on the crises in place globally.

Mattarella will therefore face a demanding journey, 16 years after the last trip of an Italian head of state (Giorgio Napolitano) to Japan, which however takes place at a time when bilateral relations between the two countries – also thanks to the missions of 2023 of the Minister for Companies Adolfo Urso and by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – enjoy excellent health. Italy e Japan, the fourth economy of the world for nominal GDP (behind the USA, China and Germany) They saw their economic relationships in constant and progressive growth, thanks to the strong interest of the Japanese for Made in Italy, especially when rhymes with fashion, design and luxury in general.

To drag Italian exports to the country of the Rising Sun is also the agri-food sector, with the chemical-pharmaceutical and machinery that they are increasingly affirming themselves as a top sectors. If Japan, a country with a high technological and manufacturing development, has now become a strategic market for Italy (which is among its first supplier countries) is due to its position in the Indo-Pacific, a crucial region for the world balances, but also to the economic partnership agreement (EPA) in force since 2019, which has eliminated the duties out of about 90% of the EU exports, giving a decisive push to flow commercial.

At the dawn of a probable new commercial war that, by investing China, will impact all the other Asian economies, the mission of the chief of the Quirinale presumably will presumably aim to consolidate the bilateral relations from a strategic point of view between Two countries that share – beyond the values ​​of liberal democracy – the vocation for exports, innovation and sustainable development. Two countries whose future will depend on the ability to navigate demographic, productive and safety challenges against the background of an increasingly unstable global scenario.