Andres Sutt, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology and Japan’s Minister for Digital Karen Makishima signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to exchange experiences in the digital field and create new export opportunities for companies.
Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology Andres Sutt said that the cooperation agreement between Estonia and Japan reflects the willingness of the two highly developed digital societies to share their knowledge and experience. “Digital development and sustainability are important drivers of economic growth in both Estonia and Japan,” said the Minister. “Digitalization leads to a more efficient use of resources, but it cannot come at the expense of security. Therefore, the cooperation agreement places a strong emphasis on cybersecurity, secure digital identification, secure cloud solutions, data protection and secure use of data.”
Japan’s Minister for Digital Karen Makishima said that cyber resilience is becoming more important and Estonia is at the forefront of the ability to respond to cyber threats. “Estonia has developed extensive expertise in the cyber security area, becoming one of the most recognized and valued international cyber security experts. The Memorandum of Cooperation is a good opportunity to gain experience and knowledge from a country that has successfully coped with large-scale cyber attacks, ”said Makishima.
People in Estonia and Japan are active users of national digital services, but their needs and expectations are changing rapidly. “Finding appropriate solutions requires learning from best international practices and the agreement will support the exchange of expertise,” added Sutt. “Estonia and Japan are global digital pioneers and we have a lot to learn from each other. For example, the X-Road solutions that enable secure data exchange between public authorities and with the private sector, or IT developments that make the education and medical sectors more efficient.”
According to the Minister, the cooperation agreement will help open up new export opportunities for Estonian companies on the Japanese market and introduce Estonia as an attractive destination for foreign investment. He pointed out that the small size of Estonia’s domestic market motivates local companies to create products and services on a global scale and that Estonia has the highest number of unicorns per capita in Europe. “With the cooperation agreement, we will explore further ways to enhance partnerships between technology companies and communities and promote innovation,” said Sutt.