On August 2, 2023, the Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni welcomed the Japanese Ambassador of Athens Yasunori Nakayama.

The main topic of the discussion was the “Greece-Japan Year of Culture and Tourism 2024“, which was announced by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Fumio Kishida, last January, during the visit of the Greek Prime Minister to Japan.

As part of the Year of Culture and Tourism, a series of cultural events are planned, both in Japan and in Greece, including archaeological exhibitions, film festivals, theater performances, concerts, culinary events, etc.

Lina Mendoni discussed with Yasunori Nakayama the facilities that each country can provide for the organization of the events, with the ultimate goal of cultural rapprochement between the individuals of the two countries, further strengthening the already excellent bilateral relations.

More specifically, the prospect of transferring to Athens the exhibition “Legacies of Beauty”, currently located in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, which is a response to the Greek exhibition “A Journey to the Land of the Immortals – 4,000 years of Greek treasures”,which toured cities in Japan.

The Minister of Culture and the Japanese Ambassador agreed to maintain the close cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and the Japanese Embassy in Athens throughout the upcoming period, for the successful outcome of the “Greece-Japan Year of Culture and Tourism”.