Kishida arrives in Italy for meeting with pope, Draghi

By Ryuichi Sato / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

10:57 JST, May 4, 2022

ROME — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Italy on Tuesday morning following visits to Vietnam and Thailand on a whistle-stop international tour.

Kishida is scheduled to visit the Vatican on Wednesday to meet with Pope Francis, and will also have his first summit with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in Rome.

Kishida is expected to exchange views with the pope on the abolition of nuclear weapons during what will be the first visit by a Japanese prime minister to the Vatican in about eight years.

In his summit with Draghi, Kishida is expected to confirm cooperation regarding the situation in Ukraine.