Young people with disabilities cooked, served and performed at a gala at the Italian Embassy marking 160 years of Italy-Japan relationsOn Tuesday evening, October 27, the Italian Embassy in Tokyo hosted an unusual kind of diplomatic gala. The dishes were prepared, the tables were served and the music was played by young people with disabilities, along with their educators and companions, in an event meant to present Italy’s approach to inclusion to an international audience.The initiative, titled Italia-Giappone. 160 anni di storia. Insieme per l’inclusione (Italy-Japan: 160 Years of History. Together for Inclusion), was promoted by Alessandra Locatelli, Italy’s Minister for Disabilities, in collaboration with the embassy. It was part of the celebrations of 160 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan.Who Took PartAccording to the government, twelve associations from across Italy, all working on job inclusion, took part. About 100 people were involved in preparing the dishes, serving in the dining room and providing musical entertainment. Some of the groups have been reported on in more detail: Arte e Libro (Udine): a social cooperative that supports about 100 people, 65 of them with disabilities, sent a delegation of ten. It presented its project Divergente gourmet - Mordi il pregiudizio (Divergent Gourmet: Bite Into Prejudice), which uses inclusive cooking to help people find jobs. At the gala, its workers prepared a fish recipe that combines flavors from Friuli Venezia Giulia and Japan, according to ANSA. Regional president Massimiliano Fedriga said he was proud to see the region represented by an organization that turns fragile people into valued resources.Rurabilandia (Atri, Teramo): the young people of this social and educational farm, run by the ASP 2 health authority of Teramo, handled the dining service at the gala. Its extraordinary commissioner, Giulia Palestini, described it as a world leader in job inclusion for people with disabilities, a claim that is hers and not independently verified.Cuore21: young people from this group worked alongside the kitchen staff to prepare the food. One of them, Corinna, appears in the minister’s photo from the event.According to a regional news site, the Rurabilandia delegation was also due to meet buyers and hold tastings in Tokyo until October 29, and to return to Japan for Italian Cuisine Week in the World in November. That detail comes from a single local source, so check it before relying on it. An Exhibition Behind the DinnerAt the event, Minister Locatelli also opened a traveling exhibition, Inclusion and Disability: The Solfagnano Charter “Nothing about us, without us.” It is inspired by the final document of the first G7 on Inclusion and Disability, held in 2024 under Italy’s presidency, and since the start of the year it has visited all the G7 countries. The exhibition illustrates the eight priorities agreed at that meeting. The ribbon was cut by Locatelli, Japan’s Vice Minister for Family and Disability, Eriko Imai, and Italy’s ambassador to Japan, Mario Vattani. What the Minister SaidLocatelli called the event a valuable opportunity to compare experiences and good practices, and to promote a shared vision of inclusion as a fundamental element for the development of societies. In her statement, she said that through work, cooking, art and music the participating associations had shown the value of people, their abilities and the opportunities that arise when no one is left behind. Why It MattersThe event shows how Italy uses food and culture as tools of soft power, but also how it presents its social policies abroad. For the young people involved, it was a chance to work in a high-profile setting at an embassy, far from home. The government’s own notice for the event described the aim as promoting the Italian model of inclusion in an international context and celebrating the inclusive character of cooking, music, crafts and artistic expression. The sources do not give details of how the participants were chosen, how the trip was funded beyond a government call for sponsors, or what the guests thought of the evening. If the Corriere piece includes first-hand accounts from the young people, that would be the part worth adding.

On Tuesday evening, October 27, the Italian Embassy in Tokyo hosted an unusual kind of diplomatic gala. The dishes were prepared, the tables were served and the music was played by young people with disabilities, along with their educators and companions, in an event meant to present Italy’s approach to inclusion to an international audience.The initiative, titled Italia-Giappone. 160 anni di storia. Insieme per l’inclusione (Italy-Japan: 160 Years of History. Together for Inclusion), was promoted by Alessandra Locatelli, Italy’s Minister for Disabilities, in collaboration with the embassy. It was part of the celebrations of 160 years of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan. According to the government, twelve associations from across Italy, all working on job inclusion, took part. About 100 people were involved in preparing the dishes, serving in the dining room and providing musical entertainment. Some of the groups have been reported on in more detail:

• Arte e Libro (Udine): a social cooperative that supports about 100 people, 65 of them with disabilities, sent a delegation of ten. It presented its project Divergente gourmet - Mordi il pregiudizio (Divergent Gourmet: Bite Into Prejudice), which uses inclusive cooking to help people find jobs. At the gala, its workers prepared a fish recipe that combines flavors from Friuli Venezia Giulia and Japan, according to ANSA. Regional president Massimiliano Fedriga said he was proud to see the region represented by an organization that turns fragile people into valued resources.
• Rurabilandia (Atri, Teramo): the young people of this social and educational farm, run by the ASP 2 health authority of Teramo, handled the dining service at the gala. Its extraordinary commissioner, Giulia Palestini, described it as a world leader in job inclusion for people with disabilities, a claim that is hers and not independently verified.
• Cuore21: young people from this group worked alongside the kitchen staff to prepare the food. One of them, Corinna, appears in the minister’s photo from the event.

According to a regional news site, the Rurabilandia delegation was also due to meet buyers and hold tastings in Tokyo until October 29, and to return to Japan for Italian Cuisine Week in the World in November. That detail comes from a single local source, so check it before relying on it. At the event, Minister Locatelli also opened a traveling exhibition, Inclusion and Disability: The Solfagnano Charter “Nothing about us, without us.” It is inspired by the final document of the first G7 on Inclusion and Disability, held in 2024 under Italy’s presidency, and since the start of the year it has visited all the G7 countries. The exhibition illustrates the eight priorities agreed at that meeting. The ribbon was cut by Locatelli, Japan’s Vice Minister for Family and Disability, Eriko Imai, and Italy’s ambassador to Japan, Mario Vattani. Locatelli called the event a valuable opportunity to compare experiences and good practices, and to promote a shared vision of inclusion as a fundamental element for the development of societies. In her statement, she said that through work, cooking, art and music the participating associations had shown the value of people, their abilities and the opportunities that arise when no one is left behind. The event shows how Italy uses food and culture as tools of soft power, but also how it presents its social policies abroad. For the young people involved, it was a chance to work in a high-profile setting at an embassy, far from home. The government’s own notice for the event described the aim as promoting the Italian model of inclusion in an international context and celebrating the inclusive character of cooking, music, crafts and artistic expression. The sources do not give details of how the participants were chosen, how the trip was funded beyond a government call for sponsors, or what the guests thought of the evening. If the Corriere piece includes first-hand accounts from the young people, that would be the part worth adding.