T\u00e1naiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miche\u00e1l 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.<\/p>\n
Expo 2025 is being organised by Japan and will officially open on April 13th<\/sup>\u00a0and 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s theme at Expo Osaka is \u2018Creativity Connects People\u2019<\/em>\u00a0and will include contributions from Ireland\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2018Designing Future Society for Our Lives\u2019.<\/p>\n Ireland will also open a new \u2018Ireland House\u2019 in Tokyo in 2025 housing Ireland\u2019s Embassy and the offices of State Agencies.<\/p>\n Speaking at the Handover ceremony for the Pavilion, Ireland\u2019s Ambassador to Japan, H.E. Damien Cole, noted Ireland\u2019s participation in Expo and opening of Ireland House Tokyo in 2025 as examples of Ireland\u2019s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Japan, providing spaces for business, research, innovation, and cultural connections to flourish.<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s Expo Commissioner General, Brian O\u2019Brien, received the ceremonial key to the Pavilion from Mr. Yoshinori Ikezawa, President of TSP Taiyo Construction group.<\/p>\n