'Defend free international order': Meloni begins 3-day trip to Japan

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni began a three-day official working visit to Japan on Thursday.

Her trip comes as the two Group of Seven nations mark the 160th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will host Meloni for official talks on Friday, with the two sides likely to upgrade bilateral ties as the two premiers said they believe their nations "share a responsibility to help shape the future international order."

It will be Takaichi's first meeting with any European leader in Japan since taking office last October.

A video footage of her arrival in Tokyo by The Epoch Times Italia showed Japanese lawmaker Arfiya Eri welcoming Meloni at the airport.

Bilateral, regional, and international issues of concern are expected to be on the agenda as the two female prime ministers are also expected to discuss progress on trilateral collaboration with the UK to jointly develop the next-generation fighter aircraft under the Global Combat Air Program.

Japanese social media users have dubbed the meeting "SanaMelo Summit," which is drawing attention as a rare encounter between two Conservative female leaders, according to the Japan Forward website.

Notably, Meloni's birthday falls on Thursday. She last visited Japan in early 2024 and held a summit with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The ties between the two geographically distant nations have strengthened over the decades, with Japan becoming Italy's third-largest trading partner in Asia, as the bilateral trade volume stands at around $11.6 billion.

"We also share normative and institutional principles ... to defend a free, fair and open international order, in a context marked by instability, strategic competition and revisionist pressures that undermine shared rules," Takaichi and Meloni wrote in a joint opinion published on Thursday by the Nikkei Asia news outlet.

With eyes on collaboration in Africa, the two leaders said: "Italy and Japan are determined to build a future of security, peace, prosperity, and stability."

"Our bilateral strategic convergence is reflected in our commitment to strengthen coordination within the main multilateral organizations and fora, from the G7 to the United Nations, and to uphold an international order based on shared rules and the rule of law," they added.

Giorgia flew to Japan from the Middle Eastern nation of Oman, and will also travel to South Korea for an official visit over the weekend.