Japan and Finland unite in security cooperation against international disruption
In a joint press conference following Tuesday's meeting in Helsinki, Japanese foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa announced that she and her Finnish counterpart, Elina Valtonen, had agreed to support Tokyo's "Nordic diplomacy initiative". This initiative aims to considerably enhance cooperation in various areas with Northern European countries.
Japan Strengthening Ties with Northern Europe
As part of this joint initiative, Tokyo is committed to bolstering cooperative ties with Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. As detailed on Tuesday by the head of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this will cover areas such as security, Arctic research, gender equality, decarbonization, and digitization.
The Nordic countries and Japan will enhance security cooperation to counteract the disruption of the international order due to Russia's incursion into Ukraine, as reported by "Japan Today".
Finland, sharing a border with Russia, historically maintained military neutrality for decades. However, after Moscow initiated the conflict with Kiev in May 2022, Finland applied to join NATO. By April of the following year, they had become the 31st member of the transatlantic alliance.
Tokyo media highlights that the meeting in Helsinki is a significant event, marking the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister to Finland since 1985.
