Friendship Groups

The Japan-Estonia Friendship Group has 26 members as of October 2015, being chaired by Mr. Yoshitake Konoike (LDP)

The Japan-Estonia Friendship Group

• Advisor
  Mr. Sadakazu Tanigaki (LDP)  Mr. Hirofumi Nakasone (LDP)  Mr. Takeo Kawamura (LDP)

• Chairman
    Mr. Yoshitada Konoike (LDP)

• Vice-Chairman
    Mr. Takeshi Maeda (DP)   Mr. Ichita Yamamoto (LDP)   Mr. Kazunori Tanaka (LDP)

• Secretary Genaral
    Mr. Taro Kono (LDP)

• Vice-Secretary Genaral
    Mr. Takuya Hirai (LDP)

• Executives
  Ms. Michiyo Takagi (Komeito)  Ms. Takako Suzuki (New Party Daichi)

• Director Genaral
    Mr. Mineyuki Fukuda (LDP)

• Vice-Director General
    Mr. Jiro Akama (LDP)

Currently (May 2019), there are 21 members in the Estonia-Japan parliamentary group (member list) that is chaired by Mr. Kaido Höövelson.

Chairman: Mr. Kaido Höövelson (former professional sportsman), Estonian Centre Party
Deputy Chairman: hr Sven Sester, Isamaa


 

Japan-Estonia Friendship Association was founded in June 1992.
For further information: http://j-efa.com/ (Japanese only)
Chairman: Mr. Tadahiko Yoshino
Director General: Ms. Hideko Arai

The Estonia-Japan Association was founded in July 1992. Currently (2014) we have  56 active members and 4 honorary members. Our mission is to promote cultural exchange between Estonia and Japan. For over 20 years now, we have pursued this mission in close cooperation with our Japanese counterpart Japan Estonia Friendship Association (日本エストニア友好協会 http://j-efa.com/ )  and the Embassy of Japan in Tallinn.

Among our members, there are Ikebana enthusiasts, Judo and Karate coaches, musicians, artists, historians, sociologists, writers etc. On the average, we meet once a month and our activities include Ikebana demonstratins, Tea Ceremony sessions, concerts of Japanese music, Japanese art exhibitions;  lectures and presentations introducing various aspects of Japanese culture,  etc. We have also introduced Japanese cuisine to Estonians and Estonian cuisine to Japanese residing in Estonia.

The Ikebana Club of our Association has been active over 20 years and several members of the Club have earned certificates from Kokusai Ikebana and Ikenobo Schools. For some of them, flower arrangement has become a full-time job. In 2007, when Their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress of Japan visited Estonia, members of our Ikebana Club had the honour to decorate their Majesties' rooms with flowers. In close cooperation  with the Embassy of Japan, our Ikebana enthusiasts have also used their skills on many other occasions.

Just a few highlights from recent years:

- In 2008, we arranged the Week of Japanese Culture in Rakvere concurrently with Sumo World Championships. This included Ikebana exhibition, Japanese art exhbition, Tea Ceremony demonstration, introduction of Japanes cooking at a vocational schools in Rakvere and Tallinn, Haiku recitations, Japanese music concerts etc.

- In Autumn of  2011, in cooperation with Japan Estonia Friendship Association, we organised a full month of Japanese culture with a number of prominent participants and performers from Japan.

- In 2013,  EJA and the Estonian Embassy in Tokyo brought to Estonia Mr. Umezaki, who worked here for 4 months and displayed his paintings at a grand exhibition at the National Library.

 

President:        Mr. Heikki Vallaste
Tel:                  +372 5106943           
E-mail:            heikki.vallaste@eja.ee

For further information:
http://eja.ee/ (Estonian only)