Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin TD, has today welcomed the completion of Ireland Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka Japan. The completion of the Pavillion was marked with an official handover ceremony today in Osaka.
Expo 2025 is being organised by Japan and will officially open on April 13th and run for six months. It has 160 participating countries and is expected to attract up to 28 million visitors during that time and an ambitious programme to showcase Ireland to an international audience is planned.
Designed by the OPW and constructed by TSP Taiyo Japan, the Ireland Pavilion became the first international participant country at Expo 2025 to receive a certificate of construction completion on 17 December 2024, garnering significant media attention in Japan.
The Pavillion design is based on the triple knot or triskele, an ancient motif which has appeared in Irish art and craft since Neolithic times. The design also looks to the future by using sustainable materials that can be reused after Expo. The handover ceremony marks a milestone achievement for Ireland in its journey towards Expo 2025.
Ireland’s theme at Expo Osaka is ‘Creativity Connects People’ and will include contributions from Ireland’s universities, cultural institutions, Government Departments and State Agencies, providing an opportunity to develop and enhance partnerships for Ireland in Japan, the Asia Pacific region, and the wider world.
The winners of the 2025 BT Young Scientist competition, announced last week, will also visit Expo to showcase their achievements and engage with the overall Expo theme of ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’.
Ireland will also open a new ‘Ireland House’ in Tokyo in 2025 housing Ireland’s Embassy and the offices of State Agencies.
Speaking at the Handover ceremony for the Pavilion, Ireland’s Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Damien Cole, noted Ireland’s participation in Expo and opening of Ireland House Tokyo in 2025 as examples of Ireland’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Japan, providing spaces for business, research, innovation, and cultural connections to flourish.
Ireland’s Expo Commissioner General, Brian O’Brien, received the ceremonial key to the Pavilion from Mr. Yoshinori Ikezawa, President of TSP Taiyo Construction group.
A traditional Irish music and dance performance by local Japanese performers provided a glimpse into Ireland’s theme for Expo 2025 ‘Creativity Connects People’.
Commenting on the Handover Ceremony, the Tánaiste said:
“Having launched ‘Ireland at Expo 2025’ in July of last year, I’m delighted that Ireland is the first international participating country to complete its Pavilion. This marks an important milestone and paves the way for delivering an ambitious ‘Ireland at Expo’ programme, which will tell Ireland’s story to future generations in Japan.”
“Participation in Expo is an example of the ambition of the Global Ireland strategy in action delivered by a strong ‘Team Ireland’, all-of-Government approach. Together with our Embassy, Ireland’s trade and investment promotion agencies – IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Bord Bia and Tourism Ireland – we will leverage the opportunities presented by Expo 2025 and Ireland House Tokyo to raise awareness of Ireland in Japan and to promote Ireland as a great country to visit, in which to invest and study, and with which to trade.”
More information on Ireland’s presence at Expo 2025 is available on www.ireland.ie/expo