Message from Ambassadors

Finland and Japan
Defining the Future Together
Tanja JÄÄSKELÄINENAmbassador of Finland to Japan
Ms. Tanja Jääskeläinen is the Finnish Ambassador to Japan since 2022. Before Tokyo she has worked as Deputy Director
General at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. She has also served as Ambassador to Tunisia (2013–2017). Jääskeläinen
has worked at the Embassies of Finland in London (2009–2013), Damascus (2001–2003) and Budapest (1996–2000). She
entered the MFA in 1995 and hold different positions there including Senior Diplomatic advisor to two Foreign Ministers (20072009). Jääskeläinen holds degrees of Master of Social Sciences and Master of Art.

The friendly and close relationship between Finlandand Japan is developing strongly and there is muchinterest towards Finland in Japan, and vice versa. Due tothe global geopolitical situation, including Finland’saccession to NATO, visibility of Finland in Japan has
risen to a completely new level. In 2022 we were happy
to welcome to Japan Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna
Marin, Foreign Minister and Defence Minister as wellas the Parliament’s Constitutional Law Committee, toname but a few. The high-level visits have given a strong
boost for collaboration in many sectors including
business and innovation.
Finland is known for its strong ecosystem of open
innovation, where start-ups, large companies,
universities, research institutions, and other players not
only originally from Finland but from around the world
work together. Investments into Finnish start-ups havebeen growing steadily, reaching a new record again in
2022 with €1,8 billion, more than half of which is fromabroad. Today, Finland is home for many promising
start-up ecosystems and Slush, the world’s leading

yearly start-up event started as a student-led activity in2008. Innovations and creativity flourish when people
meet, talk, bond and challenge each other.
I am proud to say that Finland offers innovation andopportunities in one of the world’s most stable, smart,and sustainable economies. According to UN
Sustainable Development Report, Finland is the leader
and the number one country in achieving the UN SDGs.
We rise to ambitious climate targets with groundbreaking
ecosystems and cutting-edge research.
Finland is among the global forerunners in climatechange mitigation and in turning knowledge into action.
Some of the green start-up innovations coming out ofFinland are rather astonishing. Just imagine soft andchemical-free fibre for clothes, made out of wood; or
biodegradable bio-plastic containers made out of woodindustry by-products. Finland already has the solution
to resolve the single-use plastics waste issue.
The partnership between Finland and Japan will be
more important than ever in the field of green transition.
I am happy that Finnish-Japanese collaboration alreadyexist in Cleantech and in renewable energy. KANSAIElectric’s onshore wind farm projects in Piiparinmaki
and Alajarvi are among the largest ones in Finland target
to operate in 2023 giving invaluable experience for
KANSAI Electric to run large-scale wind farm business.
Share of renewable energy, especially wind power, is insteep increase in Finland, offering attractive possibilities
for investors looking for an ample supply of emissionfree electricity.
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which I believe important for foreign investors andbusinesses. Transparent government and effective state
institutions are one of the pillars for our well-functioning
society that also reduces risks for international business.
Finland consistently ranks among the best in the world
for transparency and the perceived lack of corruption.

Furthermore, some noteworthy projects are alreadyongoing between Finland and Japan in bio and circular
economy. Joint Venturing pilot plant of ITOCHU andMetsä Group has been established for production ofcellulose fibre and Lyocell made of wood, which is anenabler for sustainable and circular apparel. This projecttakes advantage of the long-term relationship between
ITOCHU and Metsä Group. Today’s collaboration
extends beyond traditional paper and pulp business withthe aim to jointly invest in developing wood-based
textile fibre.

Being home to many prosperous ICT companies andtechnology experts, Finland is one of the most digitalised
countries in the world. Japanese companies havingpresence in Finland are benefitting the Finnish businessenvironment in the ICT and digital areas. For example,
Mitsubishi Logisnext is utilizing Finnish knowhow in
mobile machinery industries and collaborating withother leading companies residing in Finland. Indeed,
there is a lot of open source and software development
capability in Finland for other companies to benefit
from.

Trust, equality and low hierarchies are also staples of
Finnish work culture. Public digital services aredeveloped with a strong accessibility and customer
focussed approach. Equality, education and wellbeing
improve business performance. Happiness does not justhappen; it is built into the fabric of our society.
Finland has long since recognised that our greatest
national asset is after all not forests or even sauna. It is
the people. We have invested for long in high-level
education and life-long learning and we are an agile
nation of designers, engineers and problem-solvers at
the forefront of innovations. Young people areencouraged to study abroad and I am happy to note theexisting strong links between universities in Finlandand in Japan, fostering mutual learning, science,research and development.
People-to-people connections form an important glue
between any countries and create collaboration for
future generations. Gaining new experiences will soon
become easier with the new working holiday agreement
between Finland and Japan. The reciprocal agreement
will give Finnish and Japanese nationals aged 18 to 30
the right to stay in the partner country and work to alimited extent in order to fund their travels. This is an
opportunity for young people to discover our country
and get inspired by our strengths.
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お問い合わせJOI 事業企画部
E-mail: bd@joi.or.jp

駐日フィンランド大使館
商務部 上席商務官

Moreover, our ecosystem and business environment
offers high levels of continuity, trust, and transparency,
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渥美 栄司

E-mail: Eiji.Atsumi@businessfinland.fi
https://finlandabroad.fi/web/jpn/ja-frontpage