Estonia and Japan are to strengthen cooperation in the field of IT and “green” energy

Did you know that Estonia is gaining popularity and respect in the IT world? Estonia, the smallest country among Baltic States, has built a digital society with e-Governance and online services. Provided with the strongest security like electronic signature with incorporation of the encryption technology e-Governance system is both secure and convenient. Furthermore, it is possible to issue an electronic resident right "e-Residency" that allows even non-Estonian citizens to become virtual residents. What a great technology!

Recently there was a meeting between governments of Estonia and Japan, two progressive countries with advanced technologies. Join Japan would like to share the details of the meeting with our readers.

At a meeting with Shinzō Abe Prime Minister Jüri Ratas stressed that Japan is an important partner to Estonia, even closer economic cooperation is expected, especially between companies in the sectors of e-solutions and green energy.

Japan has shown a great interest in Estonia’s e-governance and experience with digital solutions, particularly with ID-card applications and e-services based on the X-Road. The country’s government wants to digitise 90% of public services by 2035. “Japan has a high-tech and advanced information society infrastructure as well as the desire to make the day-to-day life easier for its people with digital solutions. The companies accompanying me on this visit, many of whom have in one way or another contributed to the development of the Estonian e-government and several of our e-services, can offer great experiences and cooperation opportunities to the Japanese entrepreneurs, state, and local governments,” said Ratas.

Join Japan found out that the Estonian companies Cleveron and Cybernetica exchanged cooperation memoranda with their Japanese partners Itochu Trading House and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank (SMTB). The Estonian and Japanese consumer protection authorities also signed a cooperation agreement to improve the exchange of information and safeguard consumer rights.

The prime ministers also emphasised the importance of the working holiday agreement between Estonia and Japan, which supports youth tourism in both countries and permits them to extend their visit and find short-term work in addition to vacationing, and strengthening scientific cooperation between two countries. 

In addition, the Prime Ministers of Estonia and Japan touched upon cooperation in the UN. Estonia is an elected member of the UN Security Council and supports the reform to make Japan its permanent member.

Prime Minister Abe jokes, "When I retire as a politician, I will become an e-resident of Estonia and import its delicious chocolate to Japan." The Join Japan team thinks it’s a great idea!

Some background information about Estonia. With a population of 1.3 million, it is one of the most advanced digital societies in the world. In 2007, it became the first country to enable online voting in general elections. Estonia is known for its very high entrepreneurship rate per capita. Citizens pay parking fees from their mobile phones and all personal health care data is stored in the cloud.

Also, despite its small market size, many global companies are interested in investing in Estonia. For instance, Amazon has already registered business in Estonia.

If you want to expand your business to Estonia, Japan or any other Asian country, contact us! Join Japan has been developing an overseas expansion strategy for 15 years, so leave it to our pro team!