Italy–Japan relations

Italy–Japan relations

Italy	Japan

Embassy of Italy in Japan

Italy–Japan relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Italian Republic and Japan.

Bilateral relations between Japan and Italy formally began on 25 August 1866, but the first contacts between the two countries date back at least to the 16th century, when the first Japanese mission to Europe arrived in Rome in 1585 led by Itō Mancio.

In the 19th century Italy and Japan saw great changes in their political and social structure, with the former gaining national unity in 1861 and the latter entering, from 1868, into a process of profound modernisation along Western lines that took the name of the Meiji Restoration. In this same period relations became increasingly close, culminating in the participation of the two countries as allies in both World Wars.

After the Second World War, Italy and Japan both experienced a period of strong economic growth, which enabled them to recover from the disastrous situation in which they found themselves after the end of the conflict and to forge renewed economic and trade agreements, as well as active scientific cooperation for technological development.

Nowadays, Italy and Japan enjoy a cordial and friendly relationship. Italy is one of the best loved countries in Japan and one of the most popular European tourist destinations, thanks above all to the success of the 'Made in Italy' brand which has contributed, since the 1990s, to increasing Japanese appreciation of Italian culture.

Italy has an embassy in Tokyo and Japan has an embassy in Rome.

First contacts

Although relations between Japan and Italy formally began with the signing of the first treaty of friendship in 1866, the first contacts between the two nations can be traced back to the 13th century, when Marco Polo learned of the existence of Japan, which he called Cipango (or Zipangu). Although he never set foot on Japanese soil, the Venetian navigator described the Japanese country as a large independent island full of riches.

Japan remained relatively isolated and therefore immune to Western influence at least until 1543, when a Portuguese ship containing Portuguese and Italian Jesuits was blown off course and landed in the Asian country. The Japanese Roman Catholic Christian daimyōs dispatched the Tenshō embassy to Pope Gregory XIII. This was the first Japanese mission in a foreign land on the initiative of the missionary Alessandro Valignano and the Christian daimyō Ōtomo Sōrin, Ōmura Sumitada and Arima Harunobu. The delegation consisted of four young dignitaries: Itō Mancio, Giuliano Nakaura, Martino Hara and Michele Chijiwa, joined by the Jesuit Diogo de Mesquita, who acted as their interpreter.

The group arrived in Italy in 1585 and were received in Rome by Pope Gregory XIII and especially by his successor Pope Sixtus V, who made them a gift of the Church of Santa Maria dell'Orto, which has been the place of worship for the Japanese Catholic community in the Italian capital ever since. In 1615, the daimyō of Sendai, Date Masamune, sent another delegation headed by the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga. The latter met Pope Paul V, and formally requested a trade treaty between Japan and Mexico (then Viceroyalty of New Spain), as well as the sending of Christian missionaries to Japan.

Beginning of official relations

During the 19th century Italy and Japan experienced similar historical periods, characterised by huge changes in their political and social structure. Italy achieved national unity in 1861 during the period known as the Risorgimento, while Japan saw the end of the Bakufu system and the beginning in 1868 of a process of profound modernisation along Western lines that came to be known as the Meiji Restoration.

This period also coincided with the beginning of formal relations between the two countries: in 1860 the first Italian merchant ship docked in Nagasaki, while the arrival of the military steamer Magenta in the port of Yokohama (27 May 1866) led to the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce on 25 August of the same year, ratified in Edo by Captain Vittorio Arminjon.

As a result the Italian ships were able to expand their activities to the ports of Kanagawa, Nagasaki and Hakodate. One year later, Tokugawa Akitake, younger brother of the shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, went to Italy as part of the first official Japanese trip to the European country, which also corresponded to the last official trip organised by the Tokugawa shogunate, by then close to its fall.

The beginning of official relations was also characterized by an intense commercial exchange, which led Italy, between the end of the Edo period (1603-1868) and the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912), to absorb up to one fifth of Japanese silkworm eggs exports.

In 1873 the Iwakura mission arrived in Italy, organized by the new government as part of the series of measures it had taken to renew Japan. A key figure in the relations between the two countries was Count Alessandro Fè d'Ostiani, designated Minister Plenipotentiary for China and Japan in 1870, who accompanied the members of the mission during their visit.

The mission visited cities such as Florence, Naples, Venice and Rome, where it was received by Victor Emmanuel II. The main interest in Italy was directed towards handicrafts and the different aspects of modernisation in the country.

In the meantime some Italians obtained important public and honourable positions in the Japanese government, testifying to the growing influence of Italy in Japan. In 1872, Edoardo Chiossone became director of the Ministry of Finance's Paper and Securities Workshop, Alessandro Paternostro was legal advisor to the Ministry of Justice from 1885 to 1890, General Pompeo Grillo worked at the Osaka foundry from 1884 to 1888, followed by Major Quaratesi from 1889 to 1890 and Major Scipione Braccialini, who taught ballistics, from 1892 to 1893.

Also Japanese art and culture ended up being influenced by Italy: the painter Antonio Fontanesi, the sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa and the architect Giovanni Vincenzo Cappelletti came to Japan in 1876 invited by the government of Tokyo, as part of the modernization process strongly desired by Emperor Mutsuhito. Fontanesi became rector and head of the art department of the Tokyo Technical School of Fine Arts[16], Ragusa played a significant role in the development of modern Japanese sculpture by introducing bronze casting technologies and other European sculpture techniques, while Cappelletti designed the Yūshūkan military museum at the Yasukuni shrine.

The popularity of opera in Italy led to the development of a new musical genre called "Japanese opera", which in turn influenced Italian opera, as in the case of Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

In 1894 a further agreement between the two countries was signed, strengthening the one of 1866, while in 1912 a treaty on trade and navigation was signed. Italy and Japan were also part of the Eight-Nation Alliance that put down the Boxer Rebellion in China between 1899 and 1901.

The First and Second World War

During World War I, they were both members of the Allied Powers and fought against Germany from 1914 to 1918. In 1919, Italy supported Japanese racial equality proposal against the Great Powers.

During the Siberian Intervention, they allied and fought against Communists.

In 1940, Italy and Japan were both members of the Axis Powers after signing the Tripartite Pact (World War II).

See also

• Foreign relations of Italy
• Foreign relations of Japan

Country comparison

	Italian Republic	Japan
Flag
Coat of Arms	Emblem of Italy
Population	60,579,711	125,570,000
Area	301,338 km2 (116,346 sq mi)	377,975 km2 (145,937 sq mi)
Population density	200/km2 (519 /sq mi)	344/km2 (891/sq mi)
Capital	Rome	Tokyo
Largest city	Rome – 3,748,148 (6,144,600 Metro)	Tokyo – 13,185,502 (35,682,460 Metro)
Government	Unitary parliamentary republic	Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
First leader	King Victor Emmanuel II Prime Minister Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour	Emperor Jimmu Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi
Current leader	President: Sergio Mattarella Prime Minister: Mario Draghi	Emperor: Naruhito Prime Minister: Yoshihide Suga
Official languages	Italian	Japanese
Main religions	83.3% Christianity 12.4% non-religious 3.7 Islam 0.6% Other religions	83.9% Shintoism, 7.14% Buddhism, 2% Christianity, 7.8% other
Ethnic groups	93.5% Italian 1.5% Romanian 1% North African 4% Other	98.5% Japanese, 0.5% Korean, 0.4% Chinese, 0.6% other
GDP (PPP)	$2.610 trillion ($43,376 per capita)	$5.586 trillion ($44,585 per capita)

References

• Baskett, Michael (2009). "All Beautiful Fascists?: Axis Film Culture in Imperial Japan" in The Culture of Japanese Fascism, ed. Alan Tansman. Durham: Duke University Press. pp. 212–234. ISBN 0822344521

External links

• Presenza Italiana in Giappone 2010" (Template:Lang-ja; Archive). Italian Trade Commission.