Mission of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Antonio Tajani, to Tokyo and Karuizawa to take part in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, will be on a mission to Tokyo and Karuizawa (Japan) from today, Saturday 15 April 2023, to take part in the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting and hold meetings with Japanese counterparts. This will be the Deputy Prime Minister's first mission to the Far East.

The Foreign Ministers of Japan - which holds the Presidency - Italy, France, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Canada, together with the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, will be addressing the main international political and economic issues and preparing the works for the Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the G7 countries to be held in Hiroshima from 19 to 21 May. Minister Tajani is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his G7 counterparts on the sidelines of the Ministerial sessions.

The deputy Prime Minister's mission will also be an opportunity to strengthen the government's foreign policy action in terms of diplomacy for growth. Japan is in fact a strategic market for Italy. Economic relations with Italy and trade between the two countries are constantly and progressively growing, thanks also to the many common factors that facilitate bilateral cooperation between the two economies both at an institutional and commercial level. The leading sectors of Italian exports to Japan include textiles-fashion (clothing, leather goods and accessories), chemicals-pharmaceuticals, machinery and means of transport. Cooperation in the field of research and technological development is also growing, particularly in the fields of renewable energy, the development of smart cities, biotechnology and nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals, robotics and home automation. During the mission, the Deputy Prime Minister will have meetings with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yasotoshi Nishimura, with the top management of a number of major Japanese companies, and with leading Italian representatives of the business, scientific research and cultural community in Japan.