Japanese PM kicks off six-nation European tour in Estonia

TALLINN, Estonia – Japan’s prime minister has kicked off a five-day European tour that will take him to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania — becoming the first-ever head of the Asian nation to visit these countries.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived Friday in Tallinn, where he is expected to focus on cybersecurity and information technology issues. Estonia, a small Baltic nation of 1.3 million, is considered one of Europe’s most advanced technological nations.

Tokyo has been increasingly worried over potential cyberthreats from North Korea and China, and is looking to learn from Estonia, which was hit by a large-scale cyberattack in 2007.

Abe also meets Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and Prime Minister Juri Ratas to discuss EU-Japan relations and bilateral trade. He travels to Latvia and Lithuania on Saturday.