Visit to Estonia by Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense Yoshida

On August 28, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Defense YOSHIDA Shinji visited Estonia and paid a courtesy call on Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur. The two discussed the regional situation and bilateral defense cooperation and exchanges, and confirmed that they would further promote such cooperation and exchanges across a range of fields.

On the same day, prior to the above courtesy call, Parliamentary Vice-Minister Yoshida laid a wreath at the War of Independence Victory Monument in Freedom Square to pay his respects. He also visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), one of NATO’s education and research institutions, where he received a briefing on the Centre’s overview from its Director, Tõnis Saar, and others. He offered words of encouragement to Japanese Ministry of Defense personnel seconded to the Centre. In addition, he visited the Coastal Surveillance Center based in the Tallinn coastal area, which manages ships transiting the Baltic Sea, and received a briefing on how the Center, in coordination with the Estonian Navy, the Coast Guard, and other relevant agencies, is addressing gray-zone situations such as the “shadow fleet”.