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Washington wants Rome to have a bigger role in sensitive Asian issues...
She was supposed to stop in Asia last summer. Everything was ready for Giorgia Meloni's super tour of the Indo-Pacific: a ten-day trip that would have touched Bangladesh, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and Japan. In the end, the Italian Prime Minister was forced to postpone the trip due to developments related to the peace process in Ukraine.
Now, almost five months later, Meloni is back in Asia. Her first stop was Oman, followed by Japan today and South Korea (January 19). Many issues are on the table, from the economy to security. While Italy aims to increase business with Tokyo and Seoul, Asia's third and fourth largest economies, Rome apparently needs to coordinate further with the United States through greater integration with its key regional partners.
The reason? Washington wants Rome to have a greater role in sensitive Asian issues, such as the Taiwan question, but also freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, China containment, and Korean diplomacy.
-An axis with Japan
Having cemented, at least on paper, the alliance with Narendra Modi's India, Meloni will seek to do the same with Japan. There, she will find Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae waiting for her, whom she met with smiles and hugs in November at the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
It will be an important meeting. Not only because 2026 marks the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Tokyo and Rome, but also because both countries are partners of the United States. In addition to political dialogue and discussion of key international issues, economic issues will also be addressed, with the clear aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation.
Incidentally, Japan is Italy's third largest trading partner in Asia. Between January and October 2025, trade between the two countries reached 10.4 billion euros, with exports rising to 7 billion euros (+2.6%) and a boom in high-end consumer goods.
It is no coincidence that Meloni and Takaichi will adopt a joint declaration to elevate bilateral relations between Italy and Japan to the level of a Special Strategic Partnership, complete with concrete commitments to accelerate the implementation of the Italy-Japan Action Plan 2024-2027.
-Korean scene
If Italy and Japan, together with the United Kingdom, have created the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), that is, the program for the production of sixth-generation fighter aircraft, the same military cooperation could theoretically be strengthened with South Korea.
Seoul is actually the headquarters of Hanwha Aerospace, the largest defense company in South Korea, which is going through a particularly favorable moment for its business. Why? Simple: among its main customers we find European countries and NATO members.
The face-to-face meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who has just finished a trip to China, will serve to align the geopolitical views of Seoul and Rome, as well as to sign various agreements (including a collaboration of the Italian Civil Protection regarding natural disasters).
Meloni and Lee are expected to sign a Joint Declaration setting out strategic priorities to further enhance bilateral cooperation, with the clear aim of strengthening trade, increasing mutual investment and promoting industrial partnerships in high-tech sectors, particularly in the advanced technology and semiconductor sectors./ Adapted from “Pamphlet” by “InsideOver”
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