The road to Osaka

EXPO 2025 OSAKA
The importance of world fairs

After a difficult few years economically, Japanese industry is on track for major growth across many sectors – and hosting Expo 2025 Osaka will only accelerate that upward trajectory. On the man-made island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay, the groundwork has been laid for representatives from 161 countries and nine international organisations to showcase the best of their innovations and learn from the strides that others have made. From 13 April to 13 October 2025, the site is expected to welcome 28 million visitors and host a series of events designed to inspire action on the world’s most critical issues, all advancing Expo 2025 Osaka’s overarching theme of “designing future society for our lives”. It’s an admirable and ambitious aim, of course, but in an increasingly online era, can these real-world displays still capture the collective imagination of our brightest minds?

The tradition of world expos stretches back to 1851, when Queen Victoria invited international delegates to London’s Great Exhibition to showcase the technological marvels that Britain had produced.

In the intervening years, these fairs have transformed into not only sites for internationally sanctioned self-promotion but also invaluable opportunities for global dialogue and national brand building.

The modern expo sits at the axis of all these elements, providing a forum for entrepreneurs, delegations, visionaries and grand thinkers to participate in a great chorus of ideas and share in a collective optimism. As the world navigates complex challenges – including climate change, economic realignment and digital transformation – these events offer a rare opportunity for nations to showcase solutions and forge cross-border partnerships. Far from being nostalgic relics, they are adaptive hubs that highlight the interconnectedness of our future.

Expo 2025 Osaka will act as a microcosm of the global economy, as emerging industries, from green tech to AI, are put on display for collective scrutiny. Its significance will extend beyond the physical exhibition spaces of Yumeshima island too. This will be where tomorrow’s economic ties are strengthened, trade deals are negotiated and cultural exchange flourishes. And as the geopolitical landscape shifts, events such as Expo 2025 Osaka remain an essential tool for soft power, allowing nations to project influence and attract both talent and investment. In an era when economic diplomacy is increasingly vital, world fairs are not merely spectacles; they are strategic events that help shape the future contours of the global economy.

Here, Monocle will celebrate the continuing relevance of the modern expo and explore how deep relationships between nations are forged. We will detail the specifics and synergies of Austria-Japan partnerships, and the ways in which both countries share a heritage across the arts, an economy built on family-owned business and a mutual respect for sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation.

Expos show us who we are and who we can be in the future, both within national borders and beyond them. Listen closely at Expo 2025 Osaka and you might hear a new world being composed.