Expo 2025 tackles global challenges with global dialogue through eight Theme Weeks

Designing future society for our lives.

That's the core mission of Expo 2025 in Osaka.

A bold theme explored through eight dedicated theme weeks.

A concept launched in Dubai, now taken further.

They are thinking big, really big here at the World Expo in Osaka.

With a brand new format that aims to tackle some of our most important global challenges.

Turning this event into a space for more fresh ideas and real actions.

Let's have a look.

The topics abroad, from co-created culture to future communities, essential needs, health, learning, peace, biodiversity and the sustainable development goals.

Thinking ahead together, that's what makes a world expo unique.

It gives small nations and overlooked issues a global stage.

Theme Weeks help turn ideas into action.

The goal, sparking lasting awareness long after the Expo ends.

The idea is for the public to watch this content, feel something and let that spark change in the world.

That, to me, is the true value and impact of the Theme Weeks.

First up, co-creating cultures for the future.

How can cultural heritage help heal divided societies?

Japanese architect So Fujimoto designed the Grand Ring, the world's largest wooden structure, two kilometers around, 700 meters wide.

This ring could be the symbol of the diversity and the unity together.

So that's why I made this as a pure circle shape, the most simplest shape in the world, in a sense.

All the national pavilions are within this ring and then stay together to create our future.

This junction of the columns and the beams is based on the traditional Japanese architecture but reinforced by the metal pieces so that this kind of scale is possible and also we can follow to the latest regulations against the earthquakes.

Fujimoto also designed the Forest of Tranquility at the centre of the Expo.

a symbol of harmony between people and nature.

There, Argentinian artist Leandro Ehrlich presents his infinite garden.

We need to reinforce and support diversity, diversity in terms of

species, diversity in nature, and diversity in social context.

Mirrors in this work are reflecting plants, are reflecting ecosystems, and when people go into the center, in the axis of the installation, what they see is themselves and others.

So it's a work that in a way invites to encounter, which is what the expo, is the spirit of this expo is about.

Another highlight, a deep dive into manga and Japanese anime culture.

The Minister of State for Cool Japan's strategy even made a special appearance in costume, accompanied by his cosplay ambassador.

Anime will be used as a gateway and starting point to go to the region and enjoy their food.

I've been doing cosplay for 17 years.

I love anime, games and cosplay, and I want to share this pop culture with the world.

It was also a chance to spotlight manga anime tourism, a real booming trend.

Each year in Japan, the sacred land of anime, we select 88 works.

We then work with the local regions to revitalize these areas.

Most of the time, anime takes place in the everyday living spaces of Japanese people.

It's not a stereotypical Japan, but a life-sized, authentic Japan.

I get to see places I usually only see in anime.

It's amazing.

Seeing all those manga and the live performance, it made me feel like a kid again.

How will we live together tomorrow in more connected, technological and sustainable societies?

The second theme week focused on the future of community and mobility.

It covers urban issues such as smart cities or disaster prevention, but also transportation-related topics.

There are also broader subjects like space, the metaverse and robotics.

Economist Andres Rodriguez-Poz led thought-provoking talks on sustainable urban development.

When we talk about sustainability there's always a tendency to think that sustainability is about environment.

And a green transition implies significant economic and social changes that need to be accepted by the population.

If we don't have, let's say, an economic sustainability or we don't have a social sustainability, what we're going to have is that there's going to be a rejection.

Post-disaster reconstruction was another key topic, including lessons from Fukushima.

Seiichi Sayato, director of the Expo's co-creation program, introduced the concept of Fuku transformation.

When a disaster or a tragic event occurs, it takes strength to overcome it.

But also what's very important is not to return to the original state, but to go much, much further.

I believe it's important for people who share the same philosophy and move at the same pace to come together.

They shouldn't remain in isolated points, but be connected to one another to form a strong and effective whole.

And all this has already led to innovations capable of responding to new disasters, like this robot, which was developed after the Fukushima accident.

Lives were at stake.

Normally robots should have intervened, but in reality they didn't.

So I decided to start a company to develop and market robots that could actually be useful in real-life situations.

Beyond 5G showcases the next generation of wireless technology, smarter, faster, and more connected than ever.

One striking example, communicating with the moon.

I'm still in Osaka, and thanks to these technologies, I'm able to operate some robots on the moon in real time, just as if I was there myself.

AI was front and center too.

Cathy Hackle, often called the queen of the metaverse, took part in a panel on the next gen of digital communities.

You're going to start to see more AI beyond just our phones and our computers.

You're going to start to see it in glasses.

You're going to see it in headphones.

You're going to see it in a lot of different hardware.

And in order for all this hardware to communicate with each other and for us to communicate with it, we're going to need connectivity that does not currently exist.

A visionary with a practical edge, Kathy Hackle was impressed by the theme week's concept.

It's not just about showcasing architecture or showcasing countries.

It is also about bringing human ideas to the center of the future.