"Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi surprised her Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni with an unexpected birthday party before the Italian leader bid farewell to the island on Friday. Footage shows Takaichi singing 'Happy Birthday' in Italian as the big white cake was placed in front of Melony at a festively decorated table. On the same day, the two leaders took a selfie, which Meloni later shared on X in anime style, writing: "Two distant nations, but ever closer. Friendship and harmony." Before the Italian delegation left, Meloni and Takaichi were spotted warmly hugging each other. "Count always on me. Okay? Whatever you need. I know it's not easy, but we'll do it together," Meloni said. In her post on X, Takaichi shared that they established friendly relations, agreeing to call each other by their first names. "I look forward to continuing to work together with you to address various challenges facing the international community," she wrote. Meloni took off for Japan on Thursday, January 15, her 49th birthday. The three-day official visit marks the 160th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and Japan. It's not the first time the Japanese side has prepared a special gift for its high guest. Earlier this week, Takaichi organised a drum jam session for South Korean President Lee Jae-myung after their summit in Tokyo."