President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella's long visit to Japan began with a meeting with the Italian community. On his first day in the Land of the Rising Sun, the Head of State met with Embassy staff and the Italian community in Tokyo, noting that "Japan is a great, important and friendly country" and with which Italy has "a growing relationship of collaboration, esteem and trust". He went on to dwell precisely on the Italian community present in Japan: "In every country I go to, meeting our compatriots is always an exciting moment: the relationship between Italy and Japan is growing and will grow more and more in friendship, collaboration and trust". Trust that comes from “the esteem that passes through the relationships between governments, institutions and diplomacy”, but it also passes “in a way that is perhaps predominant of the example of the Italians who live here. What you do is also valuable for the Republic. It creates a bond of trust and reliability with a country that is of primary importance to us. Thank you for what you do, it is a pleasure to meet you”. Mattarella will be on an official visit to Japan until March 9.