The arrival in Japan of the Italian Navy¡¯s flagship, the aircraft carrier ITS Cavour, on Thursday marked the latest in a series of incremental steps Rome and Tokyo have taken to deepen bilateral ties ¡ª part of what Italy¡¯s ambassador says is a ¡°new era¡± in their strategic partnership.
¡°Relations between Italy and Japan are experiencing an unprecedented phase of momentum and deepening; a ¡®shin-jidai¡¯ or ¡®new era¡¯ that stretches into all areas of collaboration, including economic security, science, industry, diplomacy, and of course, defense,¡± Ambassador Gianluigi Benedetti told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview.
Underscoring this rapidly expanding partnership was the 244-meter, 27,100-ton Cavour¡¯s visit to the Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture. Joined by the frigate ITS Alpino, the vessels¡¯ port call marked a new chapter in Italy¡¯s Indo-Pacific defense diplomacy.
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