"I would like to express my gratitude to the Japanese people for their massive support of peace around the world. Japan has contributed €8 billion to Ukraine, a colossal amount of money," Kivimägi said.

The vice-president of the Riigikogu emphasized that the war was not being waged between Ukraine and Russia alone, but that the democratic world was fighting autocratic regimes. "If Russia wins, it will only be a matter of time before it attacks another democratic country," Kivimägi said.

The vice-president of the House of Councillors agreed that the international security situation had never been this complicated, which makes cooperation between countries with similar values more important than ever before. He said that even though Japan might seem like a faraway country, Estonia and Japan were only separated by one single neighbor – Russia. Nagahama also expressed his hope that the visit of the Japanese parliamentary delegation would encourage cooperation between the two countries and at a broader level than just between the parliaments.

The two vice-presidents and their colleagues also engaged in an exchange of ideas on digitalization and IT, EXPO in Japan, flight connections, car tax system in Japan, and the longevity of the Japanese. In 2023, the life expectancy in Japan has attained 85 years of age. The chair of the Estonia-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE) also took part in the meeting.

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