Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Japan

Guest Speaker:
Dr. Paavo Vayrynen, Minisiter for Foreign Trade and Development

Brief recap of the presentation:

The Ministers Japan history, his visits to Japan and meetings with Japanese politicians, most amusing the sauna with coming prime minster Abe
Japan and Finland both invest heavily in human resources - education and research
Both countries are concerned about the environment and aging society
What does Finland have to offer Japan?
A gateway to the European and Russian market, also thanks to Finnair
Investments in research and development, cooperation between universities/research institutes
and private sector, this cooperation is also available to Japanese companies
Finland expects to have a 2-3% growth this year, and also next
In EU, problems with Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and perhaps even Italy
It was probably a mistake to make such a big euro zone from the beginning
A double-dip in the global economy is improbable, but cannot be excluded

The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session, see some questions and responses below.

Minster Väyrynen arrives, greeted by FCCJ President Marko Saarelainen. Left Ambassador Jari Gustafsson.	Ambassador Jari Gustafsson, Minster Väyrynen and Marko Saarelainen discuss.	FCCJ President Marko Saarelainen makes some opening remarks.
The event, at Hotel Okura, was attended by 51 persons.
Minster Väyrynen strats his presentation.	Kimio Hashida, Nokia Japan, and Pekka Säilä, Deputy Director General at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.


		JP Takala (NSN) asks the first question in the Q&A session; about the difference of being the the European and Finnish parliament.
'I got quite bored in the EU parliament so started my own business....'	Heikki Ranta (Cargotec), asks is Finland could play a role in solving the tension on the Korean peninsula.	'Perhaps a task for our Nobel Peace Prize winner and former President Martti Ahtisaari.'
Veli Solehmainen (Vaisala) asks about the business opportunity in South Korea.	'Korean markets are competitive but appreciate Finnish products'	FCCJ President Marko Saarelainen hands over a smal present to the guest speker - a 'jimbe'.
Preparing for the traditional hadshake.	Marko Saarelainen hads over a private present - a book about the history of his company, Honkarakenne.	'The Offical Photo'. Ambasador Jari Gustafsson, FCCJ President Marko Saarelainen and Minister Paavo Väyrynen.