Ambassador Café

Finnish Ambassador Tanja Jääskeläinen Reflects on Her Time in Japan

People Culture

Ambassador Tanja Jääskeläinen of the Embassy of Finland to Japan sits down with Nippon.com to talk about her four years in the country, her outdoor pursuits, and the cultural bonds that Finland and Japan share.
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Warm Waters and Walks

Tanja Jääskeläinen has served as ambassador of Finland to Japan since 2022. Her ideal weekend is simple but satisfying: a hike of a few hours followed by a hot spring soak. She draws a warm parallel between Japan’s onsen culture and Finland’s beloved sauna tradition as sources of mental peace and quiet.

Tanja Jääskeläinen

Appointed as ambassador of Finland to Japan in 2022. Before Tokyo she worked as deputy director general of political affairs at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland (2018–22), covering Finland’s foreign and security policy in general as well as a wide range of global political and security issues and international organizations. She has worked at the Finnish embassies in London (2009–13), Damascus (2001–3), and Budapest (1996–2000). She also has deep experience in the Middle East and North Africa regions, having served as special representative to the Syria crisis (2017–18) and ambassador to Tunisia and Libya (2013–17).

(Originally written in English based on a May 27, 2026, interview at the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo. All images © Nippon.com.)

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