The warm and friendly conversation following the ceremony covered Estonia’s cultural heritage, including the continuation of the tradition of song festivals and choral music in an era of coronavirus restrictions and challenges. They also spoke about boosting tourism and digital cooperation.
“As a result of the geopolitical developments of recent years, there is a chance for in-depth development of Estonia-Japan relations in several additional areas, more specifically in sectors linked to supply chains, services and startups, as well as education and security,” Ambassador Martinson said. He also relayed the warm greetings and wishes for the continued development of relations between the two countries from Estonian President Alar Karis. Ayuko Kato, Minister for Child Policy and Gender Equality, attended the ceremony as a representative of the Japanese government.
Mait Martinson was born in 1969 in Pärnu; he obtained a degree in economics from the State University of Moscow in 1993, and then joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In his long diplomatic career, Martinson has worked on economic policy at the Ministry in Tallinn, and at the Estonian embassy in Washington in relations with the USA, Canada and Mexico. He was a trade negotiator for Estonia during European Union accession, served as the director general of the State Protocol Department and as the Estonian ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, Ireland and Belarus. For the past six years, Martinson headed the Strategic Goods Commission at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ambassador Martinson is also appointed as an ambassador to Malaysia and the Philippines; he resides in Tokyo.
