Tokyo (SCCIJ) – The Embassy of Switzerland in Japan, Presence Switzerland and the Consulate of Switzerland, Swissnex in Japan, have unveiled the design of the Swiss pavilion at the Expo 2025 in Osaka-Kansai. Switzerland will use the world exhibition to further deepen relations with Japan and to showcase its innovative strengths and sustainability with the lightest pavilion.
An illustration of the Swiss pavilion for the Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 (© House of Switzerland).
Three core topics
During a press conference in Tokyo, the Secretary General of Expo 2025, Mr. Hiroyuki Ishige, and Commissioner General of the Swiss Pavilion, Mr. Manuel Salchli, signed a contract confirming Switzerland’s official Expo participation. Together with Swiss Ambassador Andreas Baum and in attendance of Swiss consul Felix Moesner in Osaka, they revealed the model of the Swiss Pavilion.
Switzerland’s presence at Expo 2025 in Osaka will center on positioning Switzerland as an efficient, leading innovation hub with a focus on the three thematic areas of ‘Life’: life sciences, health, and nutrition, ‘Planet’: environment, sustainability, climate and energy, and ‘Augmented human’: robotics and artificial intelligence.
Smallest footprint
The Swiss pavilion will stand out not only thanks to its spherical architecture with five spheres embedded in a lush green landscape but also because it will be the pavilion with the smallest ecological footprint at Expo 2025.
The shell of the exhibition spaces is composed of a foil supported by a lightweight construction. It weighs no more than 400kg – just 1% of a conventional building shell – and can be transported with two to three cargo bikes. The foil is recyclable and will be made into specially designed furniture after the Expo.
Business potential
Given the great significance of the host country Japan as one of the most important economic partners in Asia, the Federal Assembly of Switzerland approved a credit of CHF 19.4 million in December 2022. Through the acquisition of sponsors, the net expenditure for the Swiss Confederation for its Expo participation amounts to CHF 13.2 million.
Working together with the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), Swiss ERI actors, and other partners, the aim is to show how Swiss innovative strengths serve sustainability and prosperity, using concrete Swiss initiatives, research projects, services, and products. Participation is also of great interest to Swiss companies and tourism, given the significant business potential.
“The aim is for our presence to have an impact not only on the general public but also in the long term in the economic and scientific spheres,” said Alexandre Edelmann, interim head of Presence Switzerland. The next world exhibition will be held in Osaka from 13 April to 13 October 2025 under the theme of ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’. The organizers are expecting 150 participating countries and 28 million visitors.
Switzerland has participated in most world exhibitions and succeeded in establishing an attractive brand with the Swiss pavilion, both for the general public abroad and for its domestic partners. At the last Expo 2020 in Dubai, the Swiss pavilion was one of the most popular and most visited national pavilions.
Text: SCCIJ based on material of EDA and House of Switzerland
