From Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 July 2025, Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Luxembourg's Minister for Digitalisation and Minister for Research and Higher Education, Stéphanie Obertin, will visit Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan.
As reported by Luxembourg's Ministry of Digitalisation and Ministry of Research and Higher Education, they will be accompanied by a large business delegation representing more than 60 companies, thus demonstrating Luxembourg's commitment to deepening its relations with Japan.
As part of her visit to Japan, Minister Obertin will lead a mission to Tokyo starting Monday 14 July 2025, accompanied by a delegation composed of representatives from the public and research sectors. The agenda for Monday 14, Tuesday 15 and Friday 18 July will include a meeting with Japanese Minister of State Atsushi Nonaka and meetings with key representatives from Japanese sectors on topics related to artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, data spaces / data exploitation and bilateral scientific cooperation.
The focus of the Japan trip is a visit to the Expo, which is themed "Designing the Society of the Future, Imagining Our Life Tomorrow." The Luxembourg ministries noted that this theme is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations (UN). The exhibition brings together representatives from over 150 countries around the world to showcase innovative solutions to global challenges. Located on the artificial island of Yumeshima, it features innovative pavilions, interactive experiences and discussions on topics ranging from technology to environmental sustainability.
Luxembourg is marking its 25th participation in a World Expo with a pavilion designed by the Luxembourg-based firm STDM around the concept of "Doki Doki - The Luxembourg Heartbeat". This Japanese expression describing the sound the heart makes when it beats is used to express enthusiasm and excitement, as well as energy and passion. The ministries added that the pavilion offers an immersive experience illustrating Luxembourg's open, innovative and sustainable identity through a presentation of the country in three acts: a first act showcasing the diversity of Luxembourg's inhabitants, a second act illustrating the country's innovative spirit and a third act allowing visitors to discover Luxembourg's landscapes through an immersive projection.
Upon their respective arrivals, the Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Obertin will be welcomed at the Luxembourg Pavilion by the Commissioner General of the Luxembourg Pavilion, André Hansen, and the Deputy Commissioner General and Director of the Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Daniel Sahr, for a guided tour.
The Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Obertin will continue their exploration of the Expo site, notably with a walk on the "Grand Anneau", a massive wooden structure 2 km in circumference and 12 metres high.
In parallel with the visit, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, as well as the Luxembourg Embassy in Japan and the Luxembourg Trade and Investment Office in Tokyo, is organising two economic missions, one focused on the space sector and the other on the Health & Tech fields.
The economic mission dedicated to the space sector will conclude during the "Space Afternoon", organised by the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), at the Luxembourg Pavilion. The Hereditary Grand Duke, Minister Obertin and Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of the Japanese company ispace, will speak on this occasion. They will also discover the exhibition "Space for Earth - How space contributes to our planet", set up within the pavilion, highlighting the essential role of space in achieving the UN SDGs (Agenda 2030). Guests will also have the opportunity to discover models of the iSpace rover and lunar lander, the former of which was designed in Luxembourg.
Alongside the economic mission focused on the Health & Tech sectors, Minister Obertin will participate in the "Circular Economy Conference" at the Luxembourg Pavilion. The conference, dedicated to circular construction and sustainability, will bring together Luxembourg and Japanese experts to exchange experiences around the pavilion as a concrete model of the circular economy.
To provide Luxembourg companies with a platform to network with local economic stakeholders, an official reception will bring together delegations from both economic missions, jointly organised by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the Directorate for Foreign Trade and Investment Promotion of the Foreign Ministry, in the presence of the Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Obertin.
The official programme also includes several visits to flagship companies. In Kyoto, the Hereditary Grand Duke, accompanied by the Luxembourg Ambassador to Japan, Michel Leesch, will visit Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), a world-renowned centre for regenerative medicine. The delegation will be welcomed by the university's President, Nagahiro Minato, and CiRA Director, Professor Jun Takahshi. This visit will provide the Luxembourg delegation with an opportunity to better understand the major advances made in the fields of cell therapies, regenerative and personalised medicine, as well as to discover the cutting-edge technologies implemented in CiRA's laboratories.
A joint visit to Iwatani Corporation, a company specialising in hydrogen technologies and low-carbon solutions, is also planned. The Hereditary Grand Duke and Minister Obertin will be received by Senior Managing Officer Hiroshi Fukushima, as well as Kunihiko Koike, Director General of the Iwatani R&D Center and Advanced Hydrogen Technology Center. The facilities on display will illustrate Japan and Luxembourg's commitment to a sustainable society.
On the third day of the mission to Osaka, Minister Obertin will visit several thematic and national pavilions at the Expo: the NTT Pavilion, dedicated to the telecom infrastructure of tomorrow; the Health Pavilion, focused on medical innovations; and the Future of Life Pavilion, exploring long-term human-machine interactions.
