Telosaes.it

“You’re right, Italy and Japan have very similar economies. They both have solid manufacturing industries that generate roughly 20% of their GDP thanks to the enormous number of SMEs in both countries. We are still, as they used to say, industrial giants.”

Telos: 150 years of friendship. In 1866 Italy and Japan signed the Treaty marking the start of diplomatic relations; this year the two countries celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Treaty. Could you briefly outline the history of this friendship between Japan and Italy?

Domenico Giorgi: A few years after Japan opened to the West in 1854, Italian silk producers and traders were the first to trigger relations between the two countries. They went to Japan to obtain raw material undamaged by the pébrine disease that had decimated silkworm breeding farms in Europe. This was the situation when on 25 August 1866 the Friendship and Trade Treaty was signed between Italy and Japan in Edo (Japan), officially marking the beginning of bilateral diplomatic relations. Since then collaboration between the two countries has gone from strength to strength. Shortly after the signing of the Treaty, a few dozen entrepreneurs in the coral business travelled from Torre del Greco to Japan and settled in Kobe and Nagasaki. Commercial relations gradually spread to other sectors. In the late nineteenth century, the two warships built by the Ansaldo shipyard and sold to the Japanese government were successfully used in Japan’s war against Russia, a fact well-documented by the articles published in Corriere della Sera by the reporter Luigi Barzini. On that occasion the Japanese awarded a prestigious commendation to an Italian Navy officer. From the very start, relations involved both economic and cultural interests. The famous Iwakura mission, sent by the Meiji Government to major European countries, visited Italy in 1873. The mission was extremely impressed by the country’s cultural heritage and considered Italy the cradle of western civilisation. When the mission returned home the Japanese government decided to call Italian artists to teach artistic disciplines at the newly-established University of Fine Arts in Tokyo - Fontanesi (Painting), Ragusa (Sculpture) and Cappelletti (Architecture) - while the engraver Chiossone was named Director of the National Mint. On this side of the world, in Italy, everything Japanese had become fashionable thanks to Puccini and Gabriele D’Annunzio. Immediately after the war a daring endeavour sparked the enthusiasm of both the Italians and Japanese: in 1920 Guido Masiero and Arturo Ferarin flew for the first time from Rome to Tokyo. To mark this important feat a commemorative stele was placed in the Embassy gardens. Even today, achievements by Italian pilots are celebrated in films by the well-known Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. In 1951, having weathered the trauma of World War II, bilateral relations returned to normal and the friendship between the two countries became even stronger. The relay between the Olympics in Rome (1960) and Tokyo (1964) helped reinforce relations between the two countries in the field of sports while their economic ties were boosted by the Italy-Japan Business Group created to increase trade. The Group was chaired by Umberto Agnelli. President Pertini was the first Italian Head of State to go to Japan in March 1982; he visited Hiroshima and delivered an address to a joint session of the two houses of Parliament. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited Italy in 1993. Their second son, Prince Akishino, and his wife Princess Kiko were in Italy from May 10 to 17 this year to mark the 150^th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. This important visit - during which they met with the most important institutional authorities - is a sign of the firm friendship between the two countries, a friendship that will be further consolidated when Italy takes over the Presidency of the G7 from Japan next year.

Important anniversary = Grand celebrations. What events are currently being held in Japan?

As part of the 2016 celebrations important art exhibitions have either been organised or are currently underway in Japan, and not just Tokyo: the main events include retrospectives of Botticelli, Leonardo, Caravaggio and Morandi, wall paintings from the Roman villas in Pompeii, works from the Academy in Venice and the Medici jewels. In addition, the Tokyo National Museum will exhibit Domenico Tintoretto’s portrait of the first Japanese who came to Italy in 1585 at the head of a mission organised by the Jesuit Valignano. The portrait of Ito Mansho, recently rediscovered in a private Italian collection, will also be displayed for the first time to the Japanese public resident in Nagasaki and Miyazaki. To mark the 150^th anniversary concerts were held in March by the Italo-Japanese Orchestra directed by Maestro Riccardo Muti; a soirée by the tenor Andrea Bocelli and other concerts by Maestro Maurizio Pollini were held in April. In the autumn the La Scala Theatre Ballet will return to Tokyo and Japan Orpheo will be presented in the historical Shinto temple in Kamakura. Japan Orfeo merges one of the oldest operas in the world - Monteverdi’s Orpheo - and traditional Japanese theatre. The programme includes important promotional and commercial events, some of which are open to the public, for example the Italian festival in Roppongi Hills, the very heart of the city; numerous other events focusing on Italian food and wine and Italian life style, especially the design sector, are also being organised.Sports will play an important role too: the first edition of the Fuji-Zoncolan cycle race will take place in early October; other initiatives involve car racing, football and equestrian events with a race dedicated to the 150^th anniversary. Special prizes will be awarded at the next sumo wrestling tournament. Finally, the academic and scientific world is also an important part of the celebrations; conferences, meetings and scientific cooperation workshops have been organised in collaboration with major Japanese and Italian universities. So, a very extensive programme that everyone can consult on the website www.ItalyinJapan.com

Japan and Italy seem worlds apart, but perhaps they’re more alike than meets the eye: a population that is slowly ageing, an economy struggling to achieve sustained growth, and a high debt load. Is there anything in Japan’s economic policy Italy could learn from?

You’re right, their economies are very similar. Italy and Japan both have solid manufacturing industries that generate roughly 20% of their GDP thanks to the enormous number of SMEs in both countries. We are still, as they used to say, industrial giants. And it’s true that both countries have an ageing population and a high debt load, although there are significant differences. Cooperation and trade are extremely important. On these issues the two governments think as one, even within the G7; they promote policies in support of high growth and structural reforms. Significant reforms have recently been achieved in both Japan and Italy, and sharing these experiences is particularly important. Furthermore, growth prospects can be boosted by the free trade agreement currently being negotiated between the EU and Japan. Rapid approval would boost European exports in crucial sectors for Italy’s industries, starting with the agri-foodstuffs market. Investments and collaboration between enterprises are also crucial. I’d like to cite a few recent examples: Hitachi’s takeover of Ansaldo Sts and AnsaldoBreda; the recent agreement between Marubeni and Enel Green Power, and Asahi’s acquisition of Peroni. These are excellent examples of possible forms of complementarity and integration of technological skills and market presence. The recent, successful EXPO in Milan has prompted enormous convergent interest in the development of the agri-foodstuffs sector.

And now a more light-hearted question, but one you cannot avoid answering! You arrived in Tokyo three years ago. Tell us about a funny episode or amusing anecdote to help us improve our knowledge of the differences and similarities between the culture in Japan and our culture here in Italy.

The importance the Japanese attribute to rituality was one thing about their culture that immediately impressed me as soon as I arrived in Tokyo. In fact, many traditional elements, above all their customs and habits, still survive despite the impact of globalisation on Japanese society. Unlike Italy, traditional culture continues to run through their political, social and family relations; in addition, all the important moments in their private and collective lives are governed by a precise protocol or etiquette. This is especially apparent in their national sport, Sumo wrestling, considered a form of art. The gestures of a rikishi (sumo wrestler) follow a precise pattern: the shiko, for example, is the sumo exercise where the wrestler places his legs far apart with his knees bent and lifts each leg in succession with unexpected lightness; this is not only a stretching exercise, it is done to ward off demons and frighten rivals. Before each match, the rikishi throws a handful of salt on the dohyo (the wrestling ring, considered sacred); it is a propitiatory and auspicious act to protect the wrestlers from being injured or falling. On May 22 this year I attended the Grand Tournament prize-giving ceremony at the sumo stadium in Tokyo in the presence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. I stepped on to the sacred area and pronounced ancient Japanese formulas. I gave the winner of the tournament, Hakuho, a special prize to mark the 150^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan. The prize was presented in collaboration with the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma. I’m told that a trophy of foodstuffs is extremely unusual, but I learnt afterwards that it was much appreciated. In short, tradition in Japan is open to contamination by modernity.