The economic collaboration between Japan and Italy has been significantly bolstered, with Japanese companies investing €31 billion in Italy from 2015 to 2023, resulting in the creation of 58, 000 jobs.
This was a focal point at a conference in Tokyo, organized by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, coinciding with the Amerigo Vespucci's global tour.
This tour not only promotes Italian products but also fosters important political, commercial, and industrial relationships.
During the conference, NTT Data, a Japanese multinational specializing in system integration, announced a new investment in Cosenza, Italy.
This investment will create 500 new jobs and focus on developing an AI Lab as part of the AI Metamorphosis project, aimed at guiding companies through transformative organizational changes.
The conference also featured other Japanese companies with investments in Italy, such as Denso, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi.
Currently, there are 557 direct Japanese investments in Italy.
The Italian Vice Minister, Valentino Valentini, emphasized Italy's readiness to welcome foreign enterprises with a renewed legislative and administrative framework, supported by the longstanding friendship between the two nations.
This relationship was further strengthened by a strategic partnership signed in January 2023 by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
The Japanese Vice Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry, Nobuhiro Yoshida, expressed intentions to further promote collaboration in trade, industry, and investments, with opportunities arising from events like Expo Osaka and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Additionally, the conference addressed the surge in tourism between Italy and Japan, with record numbers of Italian tourists visiting Japan and a significant increase in Japanese tourists to Italy.