Estonian Prime Minister visits Japan with a business delegation to intensify economic cooperation

April 21, 2021

Jüri Ratas will be accompanied by Mailis Reps, Minister of Education and Research, and Kaido Höövelson, member of parliament and chairman of the Estonia–Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group. According to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, the purpose of the visit is to confirm the close cooperation between Estonia and Japan and to

Jüri Ratas will be accompanied by Mailis Reps, Minister of Education and Research, and Kaido Höövelson, member of parliament and chairman of the Estonia–Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group.

According to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, the purpose of the visit is to confirm the close cooperation between Estonia and Japan and to support the establishment of relations between Estonian information technology and green energy companies and the Japanese state and entrepreneurs. “I hope that the visit will contribute to the investments and export of Estonian services and, as a result, strengthen the relations between our companies. Japan is increasingly interested in Estonian e-governance and e-solutions. During the visit, we aim to find opportunities for our entrepreneurs to intensify cooperation in the field,” said Ratas. “We also share common interests and face similar challenges with Japan on climate issues, which is an area where our companies could contribute,” said the prime minister.

On the first day of the visit, Prime Minister Ratas will be greeted by Crown Prince Akishino. At the meeting with Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, discussion topics will include deepening economic relations, environmental and energy issues, and cooperation in the digital and cyber domain. Regional issues and international cooperation, including in the UN, will also be discussed. Due to the importance of climate issues, the prime minister will meet with Minister of the Environment Shinjirō Koizumi to discuss opportunities for cooperation in the field.

Prime Minister Ratas will attend business seminars in Tokyo, Ichikawa (a sister city of Pärnu), Kobe, and Kyoto to intensify relations between Estonian and Japanese entrepreneurs. Prime Minister Ratas also has meetings scheduled with Hirotami Murakoshi, Mayor of Ichikawa, Kizō Hisamoto, Mayor of Kobe, and Takatoshi Nishiwaki, Governor of Kyoto. In addition, the prime minister will meet with Hirofumi Yoshimura, Governor of Osaka, and Ichirō Matsui, Mayor of Osaka, as well as with Toshizō Ido, Governor of Hyōgo.

In the evening of Tuesday, 11 February, a reception will be held to celebrate the 102nd anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, where Prime Minister Ratas will deliver a speech.

The business delegation includes representatives of Estonian companies Star Cloud (digital textbooks), BugBox Ltd., Cleveron, Elcogen, Balsnack International Holding, Planetway, DefSecIntel Solutions, Millennium Invest/Oryaku, Ecomatic, Tech Heroes Club; ITL and Estonian ICT Cluster partners K12 Technologies (e-school), Admiral Markets Group, Helmes, RaulWalter, Aktors, Cybernetica, GoSwift; representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Enterprise Estonia. The visit has been organised in cooperation with the Estonian Embassy in Tokyo and Enterprise Estonia.

Estonian Government Communication Unit