Finland’s Ministry of Defence announced on 21 October 2026 that Minister Antti Häkkänen will visit Japan from 26–28 October with representatives from 20 Finnish firms specialising in dual-use and defence technologies. The trade mission will stop in Tokyo and Yokosuka and is designed to leverage the new Finland-Japan Defence Cooperation Agreement that entered into force in March. Mobility managers should note that participants will test a pilot "group business visa" issued by the Japanese Embassy in Helsinki, promising 48-hour processing and a single collective landing permit upon arrival at Haneda. Companies on the roster include Patria, Nokia’s critical-communications unit, and drone-software start-up Kelluu. Several plan to second engineers to Japanese subsidiaries for up to six months under the agreement’s streamlined work-permission clause, which exempts personnel from the usual labour-market-impact assessment. Finnish officials will also meet with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to discuss reciprocal recognition of security clearances—an issue that often delays the deployment of Nordic experts to Japanese classified-projects sites by up to 90 days. Firms interested in future delegations should monitor Business Finland’s “Asia Pacific Fast Track” scheme, due to open its next application window on 15 November.
