Yesterday – January 09, 2025 -, Hagino Akiyuki, Head of the Japanese Consulate in Geneva, was received at Palazzo Civico by Mayor Michele Foletti, Deputy Mayor Roberto Badaracco and Municipal Councilors Marco Chiesa and Raoul Ghisletta. The meeting aimed to emphasize and also bring to the attention of the media the shared values and opportunities for collaboration between Lugano and Japan.
“It is an honor to welcome you to our city,” declared Mayor Foletti, “the representatives of the Land of the Rising Sun, a land that combines age-old traditions and modernity, based on principles such as respect, integrity and social harmony, values that we must promote with ever greater conviction, especially in a historical moment marked by international conflicts and instability.”
Foletti also recalled the success of the exhibition Japan, Arts and Life organized in 2023 by the Museum of Cultures of Lugano, which presented to the public 170 works from the prestigious Montgomery Collection. This initiative represented a cultural bridge between Lugano and Japan, attracting visitors and consolidating the relationship between the two realities.
Promote culture and innovation
The visit of Consul Hagino Akiyuki was an opportunity to explore topics of common interest, including technological development. Lugano stands out for its commitment to innovation, with the presence of institutions of excellence such as the Istituto dalle Molle di studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale and the Swiss National Supercomputing Center. During the meeting, strategies to strengthen synergies in the fields of artificial intelligence and blockchain were discussed in particular.
Already in 2022, Lugano had already started an initial discussion with the Japan Blockchain Association, exploring possibilities for collaboration in projects related to new technologies. A common ground, therefore, between two entities united by the desire to innovate and look to the future without forgetting their roots.
The Importance of Culture and the Ministerial Award According to the Japanese Consul
During the visit, the Japanese consul emphasized Lugano's role in promoting Japanese culture, citing the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award given last February to the Japanese Camelia Club Association. This organization, active in the region for over twenty years, is committed to spreading knowledge of Japanese traditions, helping to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
An afternoon between art and photography
The day's program concluded with a visit to the retrospective dedicated to Fosco Maraini, hosted at Villa Malpensata. The exhibition, which includes over 200 photographs taken between Europe and Asia, offers a unique glimpse of Japan through the lens of one of the greatest ethnologists and photographers of the twentieth century. The exhibition will be open until January 19, 2025, representing further evidence of the cultural dialogue between Lugano and the Land of the Rising Sun.
