Japan draws inspiration from UAE for Expo 2025 Osaka: Official

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition has revealed its final plan for hosting the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, which will be held from April 13 to October 2025, under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives” at Osaka’s Yumeshima island.

Arai Yohei, Deputy Director, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said that over 161 countries and nine international organisations will participate in the event, which is expected to welcome more than 28 million visitors.

He told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of his visit to the Expo City Dubai that the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai’s theme focuses on addressing major global challenges in addition to three sub-themes "Saving Lives,” "Empowering Lives,” and "Connecting Lives.”

He emphasised that the United Arab Emirates is an important country for Japan, given the close bilateral relations between the two nations. Japan will take on the Expo Osaka-Kansai 2025 project following a successful and inspiring Expo 2020 in Dubai, continuing its mission to address global environmental challenges.

He revealed that the UAE pavilion at Expo Osaka will be located at the (Empowering Lives Zone), near the Japanese pavilion, and will be classified as Category A, making it one of the largest international pavilions.

The UAE pavilion is designed to draw inspiration from local Emirati heritage, incorporating elements of palm fronds and leveraging Japanese expertise in wood construction. It will focus on the UAE's ambitious efforts in space exploration, research and development, and sustainable technologies, playing an active role in finding innovative solutions that enhance collaborative efforts.

He added that the highlight of the final design is the wooden structure of the Grand Ring, the symbol of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, venue and one of the world’s largest wooden structures, which uses 27,000 cubic metres of wood. It is twenty metres high and has a circumference of two kilometres, and will receive visitors from all over the world.

During his visit to the country, during which he met with a number of government officials, the Japanese official commended the UAE’s efforts in research, development and sustainability, in addition to Expo City Dubai welcoming of "Miyako Miyako”, the official mascot of Expo Osaka Kansai 2025.

Regarding the infrastructure of Expo City Osaka, Yohei Arai explained that Expo will be held for the first time in history on Osaka’s Yumeshima island, explaining that it was an inspiring opportunity for the Japanese government to establish facilities and infrastructure that linked the island via a new, metro station similar to Expo Dubai’s metro, with tourist attractions, hotels and Expo, in addition to using smart transportation that will be revealed soon.

Expo City Dubai warmly welcomed Miyako Miyako, the official mascot of Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, to Al Wasl Plaza on Thursday, where Expo City mascots Rashid, Latifa and Opti presented the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) flag to signify friendship and cooperation between the two World Expo host cities.

WAM