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Japan-Italy Summit Meeting


Monday, April 16, 2007



Photograph of the Japan-Italy Summit Meeting Photograph of the two leaders shaking hands at the joint press conference Photograph of the two leaders and first ladies viewing a masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci


Click photographs to enlarge


Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held a meeting with Mr. Romano Prodi, the Prime Minister of the Italian Republic, at the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

At the start, Prime Minister Abe said, "I sincerely welcome the promotion of 'Primavera Italiana 2007.' I hope that this initiative will further deepen the exchanges between the two peoples."

Prime Minister Prodi responded, "The bilateral relations between Japan and Italy thrive not only in the spring but also in any other season in a very friendly manner."

During the meeting, the two leaders welcomed the significant progress in bilateral political dialogue between their countries. Prime Minister Prodi also expressed his support for Japan's candidacy for the non-permanent seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council in 2008. While Japan and Italy are to chair the G8 meetings in 2008 and 2009, respectively, the two leaders agreed to further enhance their coordination and cooperation on international issues based on the fundamental values the two countries share such as freedom, democracy, basic human rights and rule of law. Concerning economics, the two leaders welcomed the smooth growth of trade and investment marked between the two countries in recent years. The two leaders agreed to continue developing the economic relationship through further improvement of the business environment.

Afterwards, Prime Minister Abe together with Mrs. Akie Abe visited the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. There they were joined by the Prime Minister and Mrs. Prodi to view Annunciation, a representative work of Leonardo da Vinci.