Photo/Illutration Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks at a news conference on Dec. 18. (Takeshi Iwashita)

Japan expressed concern to Finland after members of the Finnish ruling coalition posted photos in which they pulled slanted eyes, a gesture offensive to Asians.

The images were posted by three members of the right-wing Finns Party, whose leader is deputy prime minister.

“We have conveyed our concerns regarding this matter to the Finnish government and expressed our expectation for appropriate action,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told reporters on Dec. 18. “Japan will continue to maintain close communication with the Finnish government.”

Historically, the slanted-eyes gesture has been used to mock Asians. It is now regarded as a typical form of anti-Asian discrimination.

Kihara was speaking a day after Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo issued an apology that the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo posted on X.

The statement, in Japanese, expressed sincere regret for the posts.

Orpo’s intervention was seen as a bid to ease tensions after a surge of criticism on Japanese social media. The embassy said the apology was released exclusively on X.

Orpo’s statement noted that Finland and Japan have built a strong relationship over many years. He added that the slanted-eye posts do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion.

The posts in question were made by three individuals. Two are parliamentarians from the anti-immigration Finns Party, while one is a member of the European Parliament.

The Finns Party is one of four parties in the ruling coalition. It became the second-largest party in the 2023 general election and joined Orpo’s National Coalition Party in government.

The leader of the Finns Party, Riikka Purra, is deputy prime minister and finance minister.

Meanwhile, Finland’s public broadcaster YLE reported that the controversy has caused a Finnish production company to postpone announcing a new project in Japan.

The production company is currently co-producing a drama series with a Japanese company.

In January, it was announced that the series will star Japanese actress An Watanabe and Finnish actor Jasper Paakkonen. The series is scheduled for release next year.

A producer at the Finnish company told YLE that this is not the right time to proceed with the new project.

The producer said Finland has built a very strong national brand in Japan. The individual added that etiquette is highly valued in Japan and trust is built by adding multiple layers.

(This article was compiled from reports written by Nobuhiko Tajima and correspondent Gakushi Fujiwara.)

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