Reinsalu made his remarks after a meeting in Tallinn Wednesday with Japan's Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Yuumi Yoshikawa, and said: "Japan has joined western sanctions against Russia every step of the way and this is crucial in raising the cost of the aggression for Russia.

"Until Russia withdraws its forces from Ukraine, there can be no talk of easing the pressure on Russia. In the current situation, we must continue ramping-up sanctions, isolating Russia internationally and looking for ways of ensuring accountability for the crimes committed by Russian forces," Reinsalu added, via a foreign ministry press release.

In addition to Ukraine, the ministers also concentrated on developments in Asia generally, and bilateral relations between Estonia and Japan, which Reinsalu described as "excellent", adding that boosting cooperation in business, digitalization and cyber affairs was of key importance here.

"Japan is also an important partner for Estonia on the multilateral arena, as evidenced by Japan's close cooperation with the EU and NATO," he added.

Reinsalu also recognized Japan for its leading role in upholding stability and a rules-based order in its own neighborhood in East Asia, adding that Estonia strongly condemns the recent ballistic missile tests carried out by North Korea, and is mindful of Japan's concerns over the actions of both the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China in maritime areas close to Japan.

A Japan-Baltic cooperation dialogue was also held in Tallinn, with Estonia represented by Undersecretary for Political Affairs Kyllike Sillaste-Elling. High-level representatives from Japan, Lithuania and Latvia also took part.

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