Finland and Japan celebrate 100 years of diplomatic relations
Permanent State Secretary Matti Anttonen, accompanied by a business delegation, will visit Japan on 22–24 May, where he will participate in the events to celebrate this anniversary and explore business opportunities in the energy sector.
On Friday 24 May 100 years ago, diplomatic relations were established between Finland and Japan. During his visit to Japan, Permanent State Secretary Matti Anttonen will participate in a reception to celebrate the special anniversary.
On the occasion, the Finnish Government has highlighted in a press release that the declaration on strategic partnership given by the President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in 2016 provides a solid foundation to further develop Finnish-Japanese relations over the next 100 years.
“Our shared interests and challenges have been reflected as increased interaction in many different sectors. In key international issues Japan, as a like-minded and highly significant player in the commercial-economic and scientific-technological issues, is a most important partner for Finland”, Matti Anttonen says.
During his visit, Anttonen will open a Finnish-Japanese conference on energy solutions of the future and participate in a symposium that explores the history of the relations between Finland and Japan. The agenda also includes political consultations on topical bilateral and international affairs between the Foreign Ministries.
Business delegation from the energy sector
For the third Team Finland visit to Japan in 2019 the main focus is on bioenergy, recovery of wastes, and smart energy solutions and cities. The visit will culminate in the conference Focus on Future of Smart Energy organised by the Finnish Embassy, Business Finland, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and local partners.
Japan is keen to find new kinds of energy solutions to renew the country’s energy distribution and make it more efficient. Both the public sector and companies in Japan are particularly interested in various kinds of smart solutions, including smart electricity grids and meters, which is where Finland has strong expertise.
Also included in the Team Finland delegation will be Fortum Power and Heat, KPA Unicon, Marimatic, Parking Energy, Valmet Technologies, Wärtsilä Corporation, City of Lahti, Espoo Marketing, LADEC and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.