The people of Finland traditionally have strong feelings of affinity toward Japan and a high level of interest in Japanese culture and society for historical and geographical reasons. In particular, the fact that there are many Japan-friendly organizations across the nation and that they are actively engaged in their respective activities is a significant asset unique to Finland. Our basic policy was to promote the EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges with the cooperation of such organizations by broadening the content, target, and locations of the events as wide as possible. Thanks to the cooperation of many people, numerous events were held which contributed greatly to the development of friendly relations between Finland and Japan.

The EU-Japan Year of People-to-People Exchanges opened with a concert by Mr. Izumi Tateno, a pianist living in Finland. A trio ensemble concert by strings and piano was also held. Violinist Ms. Yoshiko Arai, who resides in Finland with her husband, cellist Mr. Seppo Kimanen, played in it. "Japan Day," an event at which Japanese culture was introduced generally by the Friends of Japanese Culture Society, had over 3,000 visitors in just one day. In addition, many leading performers of traditional Japanese culture such as bunraku, kendo, and aiki-jujutsu visited from Japan. At the same time, many events to introduce contemporary Japanese culture such as operetta, contemporary dance, and modern Japanese art, were also held. Youth exchanges also actively took place. Junior high school students from sister cities of both countries engaged in friendly activities, and students that received top honors in a Japanese high school chorus contest put on performances. In late October, "Japanese Culture Week" was held and various aspects of Japanese culture were introduced intensively in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Finnish-Japanese Society. Events such as a kimono show, picture-story show (kamishibai), music show, and Japanese food demonstration all ended in success and promoted the last stages of the "EU-Japan Year." Later in November, we closed the "EU-Japan Year" with an ikebana demonstration. We believe that both traditional and contemporary Japanese culture was introduced in a well-balanced way during the "EU-Japan Year" in Finland.