The morning meeting with Minister Kono mostly covered boosting digital cooperation. “I am happy to announce that Estonia and Japan agreed that Estonia will host an expert from Japan’s Digital Agency this year. There is no doubt that this step will help to increase our cooperation in the digital field,” Tsahkna said, adding that it was good to see Japan following Estonia’s example when developing its digital state.
At his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Japan, Tsahkna said that relations between Estonia and Japan were close and strong, and we were united by shared values and the will to defend the rules-based international order. “As Russia continues to grossly violate international norms and values, like-minded countries advocating democratic values must stick together and make joint efforts to hold the aggressor state accountable. As states bordering Russia, both Estonia and Japan have a very clear-eyed view of the situation,” Tsahkna said, adding that we are well aware of the threats Russia’s success could entail.
Tsahkna also gave an overview of Estonia’s plan to use frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine. His meeting with his Japanese counterpart also covered deeper cooperation on the international arena. Speaking about the security situation in Japan’s neighbourhood, Minister Kamikawa highlighted actions by China and North Korea. The ministers noted the need to increase our economic independence from China.
Today, Minister Tsahkna also met with Takuya Hirai, Chairman of the Estonia-Japan Friendship Group at the Japanese Parliament. He also met with Fumiya Kokubu, Chairman of the Board of the Marubeni Corporation, to discuss Estonia’s economic cooperation with Marubeni and possibilities for taking part in Ukraine’s reconstruction together.
Tomorrow, the foreign minister has meetings with Masayuki Tanimoto, the Managing Director of Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), and JBIC’s governor Tadashi Maeda, and Takaaki Katsumata, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives. The minister will also give a press conference for the Japanese media. More information and the live stream link is available here: https://www.fccj.or.jp/index.php/event/press-conference-margus-tsahkna-minister-foreign-affairs-republic-estonia
Tomorrow, Foreign Minister Tsahkna will speak at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) think tank. The live stream link for his speech is available here (via Zoom): https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uUrQZMNRQRGIjf6luS4Wuw
In the evening, the Estonian embassy will hold a reception.
The foreign minister’s visit to Japan takes place from 10 to 12 March. He is accompanied by an Estonian business delegation.
Photos of the visit (Ministry of Foreign Affairs): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBgYc8
Foreign Minister´s tweet: https://x.com/Tsahkna/status/1767171864361680987?s=20
