Austria Signs Participation Agreement for EXPO 2025 in Osaka
Austria recently signed the official participation contract for the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Expo 2025 is expected to attract more than 28 million visitors from all over the world and provides the ideal stage for Austria to showcase its progress and developments.
Federal Minister Martin Kocher, Government Commissioner Ursula Plassnik together with Secretary General of the Expo Preparatory Committee Hiroyuki Ishige and Deputy Secretary General Manatsu Ichinoki. / Picture: © Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Wirtschaft/Alexander Haiden
More than 28 million visitors from all over the world are expected at the next Expo in Osaka. Austria, which has been planning to participate in the 2025 event for some time, has now officially signed the participation agreement for the next World Expo.
On the occasion of this joyful event, Secretary General of the Expo Preparatory Committee Hiroyuki Ishige and Government Commissioner Ursula Plassnik met to sign the contract that fixes Austria's participation in the World Expo.
"Expo 2025 is an excellent platform to present the research capacity and innovative strength of Austrian institutions and companies in relevant future-oriented development areas such as environment/green tech or life science to an international audience. Furthermore, with Austria's presence at the Expo, we are deepening the good bilateral relations with the host country in the core areas of politics, business, science and art & culture", emphasises Federal Minister Martin Kocher, who visited Japan at the same time with a business delegation to establish and expand important business contacts in the run-up to the World Expo.
The World Expo will take place in Osaka between 13 April and 13 October 2025. The Expo's guiding theme will be "Designing Future Society for Our Lives".
Austria will present itself in the 115-hectare event area, which is divided into three thematic zones: "Saving Lives", "Connecting Lives" and "Empowering Lives". In total, the organisers expect more than 28 million visitors and over 150 participating countries and organisations.
Relations between Japan and Austria
Japan and Austria have a close diplomatic and economic relationship. Japan is Austria's second most important Asian trading partner. As early as 2021, domestic exporters were not only able to reach pre-pandemic levels again, but also to generate an all-time record export. The positive trend continued in the first half of 2022.
"Austria's participation in the Expo in Osaka offers Austrian institutions, companies and tourism regions a perfect stage to present forward-looking products and solutions in our third most important overseas market. In doing so, Austria's positioning as an innovative business, research, technology and investment location becomes visible far beyond the regional area of Japan and East Asia," WKÖ President Harald Mahrer is convinced of the importance of Expo participation.
"Japan and Austria share the vision of a responsible and sustainable future, which is also reflected in the Expo 2025 programme. We therefore want to demonstrate the diversity and capability of the Austrian economy to realise this vision through new technologies and initiatives, thereby ensuring a future worth living for our society," emphasises the Austrian Government Commissioner BM a.D. Ursula Plassnik at the signing of the contract.