Japan-Finland Relations (Overview)
September 2012
Overview
History of the Bilateral Relationship
Japan and Finland have consistently maintained a friendly relationship, since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1919, and exchanged diplomatic missions in 1921. In recent years, the relationship between Japan and Finland has expanded steadily in not only the economic and trade areas, but also in the cultural and academic fields. Japan concluded in 1978 a cultural agreement with Finland, which was the first of this kind among the Nordic countries. FINNAIR began operating non-stop flights to Tokyo under the Air Services Agreement signed in 1980. It takes only nine and half hours between both countries since flights were allowed to pass over Siberia in 1991. Various events were organized for the 90th anniversary of Japan-Finland relationship in 2009.
Economic Relations
As regards trade between Japan and Finland, Japan has a tendency toward an export surplus except 2009 and 2010. Finland supports the idea of free trade, and it assumes an approach, under which this trade imbalance should be diminished by expanding Finnish exports, without import restrictions.
| Exports to Finland |
Imports From Finland |
Trade Balance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 208.2 | 135.8 | 72.4 |
| 2006 | 280.0 | 157.5 | 122.5 |
| 2007 | 296.7 | 198.1 | 98.6 |
| 2008 | 243.8 | 197.0 | 46.8 |
| 2009 | 79.7 | 107.6 | -27.9 |
| 2010 | 87.1 | 137.4 | -50.3 |
Cultural Exchanges
In 2010, Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado visited Finland on invitation by President Halonen. Princess Takamado and President Halonen were both honorary presidents of Japan-Finland Programme 2007-2011, which was to strengthen and widen the existing research collaboration between two contries.
Exchange of Visits
Prime Minister Nakasone was the first Japanese Prime Minister who paid the official visit to Finland in January, 1987. Their Majesties The Emperor and Empress of Japan visited Finland in May 2000. President Halonen visited Japan twice in 2004, first in October for an official working visit upon invitation by the Japanese Government, and the second in December to attend at 18th ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions) World Congress.
Prime Minister Koizumi visited Finland in September 2006 and Prime Minister Vanhanen payed a working visit in June 2008 upon invitation by the Japanese Government. Minister for Foreign Affairs Stubb visited Japan in November 2009 upon invitation by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan.
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