Haruhiko Kuroda: Thirty years of Bank of Italy in Japan

Remarks by Mr Haruhiko Kuroda, Governor of the Bank of Japan, at the Thirty Years of Bank of Italy in Japan Anniversary Celebration, Tokyo, 11 June 2019.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

I am honored to be here today for the 30th Anniversary of the Banca d'Italia Representative Office in Tokyo. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Governor Visco, Mr. Cicogna, Chief Representative of the Tokyo Representative Office, and all our Italian colleagues on this happy occasion. I am deeply grateful for the Tokyo Representative Office's commitment over the years to nurturing and deepening the spirit of friendship and cooperation between Banca d'Italia and the Bank of Japan, as well as our two countries.

Looking back, the year 1989 -in which this office was established -marked the last year of the Showa Era and the first year of the Heisei Era in Japan. Fast forward 30 years to 2019, the Heisei Era has just drawn to a close and we have entered the Reiwa Era. In 1989, Japan was experiencing the last of its bubble years, with the Nikkei 225 Stock Average hitting its all-time high of 38,915 yen.