From May 1 through Oct. 31, Italy will host the Expo Milano 2015, a global event bringing together 145 countries, three international organizations, 13 nongovernmental organizations, many corporations and citizens to address issues related to the global food challenges, nutrition, the culture of food and food waste. Japan will participate in the event with one of the biggest pavilions, with an exhibition area of 4,170 sq. meters. Expectations and curiosity about what Japan will present at the site are high.

The hosting city, Milan, in the northern part of Italy, is a primary industrial, commercial and financial center. It is the Italian capital of fashion and design, hosting world-renowned events such as Fashion Week and the Milan Furniture Fair.

Milan is also one of the major art cities in Italy, with its historical heritage that dates back to the Roman Empire; Milan is home to the world-renowned masterpieces, "The Last Supper" by da Vinci and the "La Pieta Rondanini" by Michelangelo.

During the expo, Milan and the neighboring towns will offer many cultural opportunities, including art and sport, theater and music, fashion, cinema and design. There will be the largest retrospective ever organized on da Vinci in the Palazzo Reale; and an exhibition, "Food in Art: Masterpieces from the Great Masters from the 17th Century to Warhol," with paintings by Bellini, Caravaggio, De Chirico, Fontana and others will take place in Palazzo Martinengo in Brescia. For the first time in history, the "La Scala" Opera House will be open continuously from May 1 until Oct. 31, with an exceptional program of the world's most-renowned operas and ballets. Traditional locations for shopping, like via Montenapoleone; and Porta Ticinese for the happy hours are ready to receive millions of guests from all over the world.

The theme of the expo — "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life" — aims to stimulate the participating countries to find concrete answers to the crucial question of how to guarantee healthy, safe and sufficient food for all while respecting the planet.

This theme is perfectly matched with the attention that Italy has always paid to agriculture and food, something clearly shown by the presence in Rome of the family of U.N. agencies dealing with food and agriculture: FAO, IFAD, the World Food Programme and by the establishment in Parma of EFSA, the European Agency in charge of food standards.

The expo will be a platform for international dialogue on the world's most important challenges. Approximately 870 million people are suffering from hunger and malnutrition, while 1.5 billion people are overweight or suffering from diseases related to obesity and the amount of food waste in developed countries is incredibly high. The international community should exchange ideas and find solutions to this contradiction, improving the quality of life for people all over the world through innovative technology and sustainable practices.

Within the expo framework, many institutional events will take place. There will be an important "Women for Expo" project, placing women's culture at the center of a universal exposition for the very first time. It will be dealing with women's crucial roles in nutrition, responsible consumption and education of future generations.

An important document, the "Charter of Milan," will sum up the results of the debates involving the scientific community, civil organizations and various institutions in order to identify the crucial solutions for the sustainable use of our planet's resources. This charter, which should be the cultural legacy of the expo, can be signed by individuals, associations and companies, becoming an innovative instrument of "global citizenship" on the theme of sustainable nutrition and the access to food as a universal right.

The universal exposition will also be a great opportunity for each country to share the best of their food traditions and promote their products on a global scale.

Both Italy and Japan share average life expectancies that are among the highest in the world. This, according to many scientific studies, is mainly due to their diet, one of the most important contributors to longevity and healthy living.

It is not a coincidence that the Italian "Mediterranean diet" and Japanese "Washoku" (traditional Japanese cuisine) have been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritages, in 2010 and 2013 respectively.

Both our food cultures are in fact based on a great diversity of regional dishes, a wide variety of fresh and seasonal ingredients, along with historical heritage combined with the most modern nutritional techniques. Both countries share a lifestyle that combines the pleasure of good food with the benefits of a healthy body.

The universal exposition will therefore be a unique opportunity for presenting our lifestyles to the world. Many prestigious Japanese entrepreneurs will take the opportunity of to open restaurant of the highest quality in Milan.

The expo will further strengthen the already strong relations between Italy and Japan, the 150th anniversary of which we are going to celebrate next year.

Japan's Minister of Agriculture Yoshimasa Hayashi will visit the expo in May and many governors, mayors, senior managers of Japanese companies and celebrities from all sectors of society are also planning to visit Milan throughout the event.

We are looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other Cabinet members on the occasion of the expo's Japan Day, July 11.

All Japanese will be welcome. Milano ni zehi mina sama irashite kudasai!

Download the PDF of this Expo Milano 2015