Minister Skinnari to visit Tokyo

Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari will visit Japan on 1–5 September 2021. Minister Skinnari will attend the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games as a representative of Finnish state leaders and have meetings with Japanese ministers and representatives of Japanese companies.

“I will attend the Paralympic Games and follow Finnish athletes’ performances. In Finnish development policy, the promotion of the rights of persons with a disability is one of the priorities. We have excellent opportunities to succeed and several Finnish athletes may win a medal. Finland has much expertise in sports for people with a disability, and we want to further develop and expand our knowledge in international contexts,” Minister Skinnari says. 

Additionally, the aim of the visit is to deepen commercial and economic relations and technological cooperation between Finland and Japan and to promote post-pandemic recovery of air connections as soon as possible. 

“Japan is Finland's third biggest trading partner outside Europe. Finland is well known in Japan and Finland's brand image in Japan is excellent, which means that there is demand and potential for trade. Japan has invested in such major projects in society as digitalisation and the green transition, which create new business opportunities. Finland and Japan have much to offer to each other.  It is important that air transport between our two counties will soon resume,” Minister Skinnari says.

While in Tokyo, Minister Skinnari will have meetings with Minister for Digital Transformation Takuya Hirai, Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi, and Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Kazuyoshi Akaba. In the meeting with Minister Hirai, the topic of discussion will be Japan’s roadmap for digitalisation and the new Digital Agency as well as the opportunities for collaboration offered by Finland. The Minister will also have meetings with representatives of the National Paralympic Committee of Japan, and members of the Diet (Parliament) of Japan.  

Minister Skinnari will also attend a virtual reception organised for the Finnish Paralympic team at the Metsä Pavilion located on the grounds of the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo. The Tokyo Metsä Pavilion is a 15-month project aiming to promote exports and to strengthen trade relations between Finland and Japan.

Inquiries:
Juha Niemi, Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister, tel. +358 295 350 232
Pia Sarivaara, First Secretary, tel. +358 50 535 1243

The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format [email protected].