Finland invades Japan this weekend in the form of the Finland Fest event.

Sponsored by Finnish music-biz promo body Music Export Finland (MUSEX) and organized by Tokyo-based music publisher/consulting company Hotwire, the fifth annual Finland Fest comprises four genre-specific showcases featuring acts from the Nordic country, and a trade show in which some 20 Finnish music-related companies will promote their wares to Japanese labels and publishers.

Hotwire CEO Keith Cahoon says that more than 100 Finnish acts now have licensing deals in Japan – no mean feat for a country with a population of just 5.3 million. They include H.I.M. (the first Finnish band to ever score a gold album in the U.S.), Apocolyptica (heavy metal played on cellos), Stratovarious, Nightwish (symphonic metal), Children of Bodom (who have toured Japan nine times), 2006 Eurovision winners Lordi, prog-rockers Sonata Arctica and jazz outfit Five Corners Quintet.

The four Tokyo showcases are: electronic at Daikanyama Loop (May 28), folk music at JZ Brat (May 28), hard rock/metal at the Liquid Room (May 29) and jazz at the Blue Note (May 29 and 30). For more details, check out the Finland Fest program.