Japan’s Minister forWorld Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, Naoki Okada, has held a working meeting with the Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, to review progress on the next World Expo.

　　Minister Okada visited the BIE headquarters in Paris to discuss the advancement of preparations for the Expo, three weeks after a ground-breaking ceremony took place at the Expo site on Yumeshima Island.

　　The Secretary General of the BIE, Dimitri S. Kerkentzes (third from left) with the Minister responsible for Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, Naoki Okada (centre)

　　During the meeting, Minister Okada and the Secretary General notably discussed the measures being taken by the Government of Japan to facilitate participation and ensure that all pavilions will be ready in a timely manner. The two sides also reviewed the progress of Expo initiatives such as the Educational Programme and the Future Society Showcase, and discussed outreach activities, particularly focused on international visitors in the context of Japan’s reopening to tourists in late 2022.

　　Currently, 153 countries and 8 international organisations have confirmed their participation in Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. Countries with self-built pavilions are in the process of finalising their designs and projects, while participants with type B and type C pavilions will have the opportunity to advance their preparations during a special International Planning Meeting set to take place in Osaka next month.

　　The BIE Secretary General stated after the meeting:“With less than two years until Japan opens the gates to Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, the whole world is eagerly anticipating this event which will serve as a global stage for life-affirming ideas and solutions. As countries reflect on future society, tangible progress is now being made on the site which will host the world in 2025.”

　　A delegation from Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai will present a progress report to all BIE Member States during the 172nd General Assembly of the BIE, taking place in Paris on 20-21 June.

　　World Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai will take place on a 155-ha site on Yumeshima Island between 13 April and 13 October 2025. The Expo will address the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, with its three subthemes being Saving Lives, Empowering Lives and Connecting Lives.