Updates: How to Make the Most of the Osaka-Kansai Expo
A scene from the webinar “How to make the Osaka-Kansai Expo” (All the photos in the webinar scene are copyrighted by the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.)
Sachiko Yoshimura, Director General of the Public Relations and Promotion Bureau, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
A webinar “How to Make the Most of the Osaka-Kansai Expo” was held on January 18, and Sachiko Yoshimura, Director General of the Public Relations and Promotion Bureau, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, spoke about updates on the Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. It will be held from April 13, 2025, to October 13, 2025, for 184 days. The webinar was organized by the Japan America Society of Chicago.
The theme of the Expo is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” with the concept of “The People’s Living Lab.” The world’s knowledge and cutting-edge technology will be brought together to create and share new ideas to help resolve global issues.
The summary of the webinar is as follows:
Economic Impacts
. Expo 2025 will have 2.8818 trillion yen of economic impact. (Estimation by the Asia Pacific Research Institute (Osaka))
. Impact of Inbound Tourism: Visitors during the six months of the Expo are approximately 28.2 million including 3.5 million from overseas.
* The Expo-related International conferences and business meetings will use the entire Kansai region as the Expo site.
The Expo 2025 and Surrounding Information
◆ Location: Yumeshima Island (waterfront of Osaka City),
◆ Period: April 13, 2025, to October 13, 2025, for 184 days)
◆ Yumeshima Island lies within 50 km from Kyoto and Nara, the ancient capitals of Japan.
Gourmet restaurants, entertainment, and many attractive tourist spots are within the Osaka and the Kansai region.
◆ Access to Yumeshima: Osaka International Airport, Kobe Airport, Kansai International Airport, Shin-Osaka Station
◆ Connections to Yumeshima: Konohana Ohashi Bridge, Yumemai Ohashi Bridge, Yumesaki Tunnel to Yumeshima Station (tentative name)
The Expo Site Configuration – Layout
◆ The Grand Roof (Ring), one of the world’s largest wooden ring buildings with an outer circumference of about 2000 meters. it is a symbol of the Expo and represents the philosophy of “Unity in Diversity”
◆Approximate size:
. Circumference: 2 kilometers
. Inner diameter: 615 meters
. Height: 12 m (outside 20m)
. Width: 30 m
. Building area: 60,000 square meters
◆ Site Design
. Linking the 3 elements, philosophy, functionality, and special experiences, is unique to the Expo and to be shared with the world.
. The design was inspired by diversity through the concepts of “decentralization and dispersion” and “unity in diversity” integrating the idea of “connection” into it.
. The Grand Roof (Ring) is the main flow line, protects people from the sunshine, and all pavilions are connected under the Grand Roof (Ring).
. Site Design Producer: Fujimoto Sousuke
Theme and Concept
. Themes: Designing Future Society for Our Lives
. Subthemes: Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives
. Concept: People’s Living Lab
What We Aim to Achieve at Expo 2025
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will be a platform to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations by 2030
Confirmed Participation
Currently, 160 countries/regions, and nine international organizations are participating.
International Participants Pavilion
Pavilion photos are now available about Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Austria, Italy, Canada, China, Australia, Netherlands, Oman, Czech, and Saudi Arabia.
Photos are available at https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/official-participants-index/.
United States Pavilion
Details are coming soon!
Japan, Osaka, Kansai Pavilion
The Expo will have three different pavilions from Japan, the Japan Pavilion, the Kansai Pavilion, and the Osaka Pavilion.
Photos are available at https://www.expo2025.or.jp/domestic-pv-index/.
Company and Organization Pavilions:
◆13 pavilions from the Private Sector:
Osaka Restaurant Management Association; Iida Group Holdings; the Japan Gas Association; Tamayama Digital Tech; Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation; the Federation of Electric Power Companies; Sumitomo EXPO2025 Promotion Committee; Mitsubishi General Committee for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan; Panasonic Holdings Corporation; ZERI Japan; Bandai Namco Holdings; Pasona Group; Yoshimoto Kogyo Holdings
Photos are available at https://www.expo2025.or.jp/domestic-pv-index/.
Thematic Projects “Signature Project”
The Signature Project consists of pavilions and events that symbolize talking about, deepening, and achieving the “Brilliance of Life” for the future.
. The word “Signature” expresses the desire to be a special project that symbolizes the Expo.
. The “Signature Project” is also a “signature work” in which the eight experts discuss and deepen the theme from their respective philosophies.
Future Society Showcase Projects
Future Society Showcase Projects have been under discussion with two layers, which means that one is demonstrating next-generation technologies and social systems that make people feel the future beyond 2025, and another is implementing advanced technologies and social systems befitting Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
◆ Smart Mobility Expo:
. 100 EV buses will be introduced for transportation within the Expo site and from outside the Expo site to the site. You will see the Energy Management System.
. 35 small EV buses will operate every few minutes throughout the day during the Expo.
. Advanced Air Mobility: Flying cars
◆ Digital Expo: including an Automatic translation system to make no language barrier.
◆ Virtual Expo
◆ Art Expo: Serenity Forest, Water Show, Parade and Street Performance, Public art
◆ Green Expo: Achieving Carbon Neutral and Circular Economy in the Expo operation, aiming for zero waste.
◆ Future Life Expo: Creating a vision of a future society with diverse participants through various ideas and corporate cooperation.
Theme Week Project:
People from various fields will gather in in-person and online settings to discuss major global issues. “Theme Weeks” is a great opportunity for business matching.
◆ Themes and schedules
. Co-Creating Cultures for the Future, April 24 – May 6
. The Future of Community and Mobility, May 15 – 26
. Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing, and Shelter, June 5 – 16
. Health and Well-being: June 20 – July 1
. Learning and Playing, July 17 – 28
. Peace, Human Security and Dignity, August 1 -12
. The Future of Earth and Biodiversity, September 17 – 28
. SDGs + Beyond Future Society for Life, October 2 – 12
● More information is available at https://www.expo2025.or.jp/en/.