Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attend an honor guard ceremony prior their bilateral meeting on Wednesday, at the Prime Minister’s office in Tokyo, Japan.
PM @MarinSanna: "The partnership between Japan and Finland is based on shared values and interests. Finland and Japan are strong defenders of the rules-based international order.
Today, we need trusted partners more than ever." š«š® šÆšµ pic.twitter.com/SaxtZZO1SI
— Finnish Government (@FinGovernment) May 11, 2022
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, after holding talks Wednesday with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, said if Finland applies for NATO membership, it would be for the security of its own citizens.
The prime ministers discussed the need to reform the UN Security Council to make it more representative, transparent and effective. The importance of nuclear disarmament was also highlighted. Other items on the agenda included gender equality issues, digitalisation and the green transition.
Sanna Marin is in Tokyo for talks with Japanese officials about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact in Europe and Asia just as her government, along with Sweden, is moving toward applying for NATO membership, ending its decades-long postwar neutrality since its defeat by Soviet Union.
PM Sanna Marin said , “The partnership between Japan and Finland is based on shared values and interests. Finland and Japan are strong defenders of the rules-based international order.
Today, we need trusted partners more than ever.”
“Joining NATO would strengthen the whole international community that stands for our common values,” Sanna Marin said during a joint press statement.
Japanese PM Kishida thanked Marin for traveling all the way from Helsinki and expressed Japan’s eagerness to step up cooperation with Finland.
The two countries also held a signing ceremony on Japan-Finland working holiday agreement to promote exchanges between citizens, in particular young people.
The reciprocal agreement will give Finnish and Japanese nationals aged 18ā30 the right to apply for a holiday in the partner country so that they will also have the right to work in the country to a limited extent in order to fund their travels. Next, the agreement will be submitted to Parliament.
On Thursday Prime Minister Marin and the Finnish business delegation will also have a meeting with representatives of the Japan Business Confederation Keidanren. The aim is to strengthen relations between Finnish and Japanese businesses in fields such as science and technology.
A delegation of ten Finnish companies coordinated by Business Finland is taking part in the visit. It includes representatives from the following companies: CSC ā IT Center for Science Ltd, Finnair Plc, 6G Flagship, Haltian Ltd, IQM Quantum Computers, Nokia Plc, ReOrbit Ltd, Academy of Finland, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd and WithSecure Corporation.
Topics
Finland Ā Japan Sanna Marin Fumio Kishida Administration Europe