Ambassador Benedetti awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun

(ANSA) - TOKYO, 19 FEB - The term of office of the Italian Ambassador to Japan, Gianluigi Benedetti, is coming to an end with the highest institutional recognition. Yesterday, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, Benedetti was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor granted by Japan to foreign citizens, for his exceptional contribution to the development of bilateral relations and friendship between Italy and Japan, now linked by a Special Strategic Partnership. On the occasion of the ceremony and in view of the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the Ambassador announced the forthcoming publication of a book recounting the century-old history of the Embassy's Japanese garden: a unique place where, in 1703, ten of the legendary 47 Rōnin ended their epic saga. At the same time, the book retraces the main events in the history of the Italian diplomatic headquarters - from the first legation opened in Yokohama immediately after the 1866 Treaty of Friendship to the post-war construction of the current residence - intertwined with the salient moments in bilateral relations. The book celebrates the encounter between a garden from the Edo period and a wonderful example of modernist architecture, now restored to its original furnishings and considered a 'house museum'. The garden and residence interact harmoniously and are a symbol of the deep trust and friendship between Italy and Japan. Read article...

By ANSA