"Participation in the Expo will be the most significant export promotion event in 2025. I am pleased that we will be participating alongside Lithuania, as this offers an opportunity to showcase the Baltic region in Japan more effectively than we could individually," emphasized Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis while unveiling the unified Baltic pavilion concept, "We Are One."
Japan is the world's fourth-largest economy, offering extensive opportunities for economic cooperation, yet it currently ranks only 44th among Latvia's trading partners. Expo 2025 presents an excellent opportunity to transform this potential into concrete investment and export projects. Latvia will be represented at this international exhibition, opening on April 13, 2025, in a unified Baltic pavilion created in collaboration with Lithuania. The participation of Latvia and Lithuania in Expo 2025 Osaka is organized by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and the Office of the Government of Lithuania.
"According to recent survey data, only 11% of Japan's population recognizes Latvia. By participating in EXPO 2025 Osaka, we aim to raise this awareness, double our export turnover, and increase Japanese investment in Latvia by up to 20 times," explains Lasma Lidaka, Director of the Baltic Expo Pavilion. She adds that Latvian entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to participate in 15 different exhibitions, specialized industry trade missions, and other business events.
The joint Baltic Pavilion, where Latvia and Lithuania will be represented, and its concept, We Are One, were presented by representatives of the Kettler association – project manager Laura Slaviņa and exhibition designer and artist Artūrs Analts.
Artūrs Analts: “When designing the Baltic Pavilion, it is important to understand the purpose of the exhibition and the innovations of our region in the context of Japan and the world. Most countries’ pavilions will try to impress the technologically advanced Japanese Expo visitor with their technological solutions. In the Baltic Pavilion, we combine these opposites in an interactive installation, highlighting both the technological advances of our region and the presence of nature. At the centre of this interaction are we, the people, and communities. In the Baltic Pavilion, the touchscreen of today’s digital world will be transformed into a striking, intuitive platform made of the basic elements of nature – water condensate, on which the message left by visitors fades over time. I am confident that the visually impressive and meditative pavilion will leave the digitally active visitors in Japan impressed and stimulate positive interest in the Baltic region in the fields of technology and investment, as well as tourism.
This installation technology, developed in Latvia, was successfully presented in the United Kingdom, where it attracted visitors in both physical and social digital spaces in a short period of time. In the Baltic Pavilion in Osaka, like any modern digital technology, it will be developed and improved. The pavilion installation will be made more energy-efficient, greener, more sustainable, and created in a uniquely curved shape and size specifically for the Baltic Pavilion and the huge flow of visitors over many months. This development demonstrates the Baltic region’s constant pursuit of technological advances and its ongoing concern for the environment.
The Baltic Pavilion will invite visitors to discover the uniqueness of the region: Northern Europe’s natural diversity and its importance for human life, its preserved cultural and intangible heritage, and the creativity and community spirit that drives innovation in many fields. We Are One highlights the interaction between nature, people and technology. It aims to discover and stimulate the power of human cooperation to build a better future.
The main element of the pavilion will be the interactive “Wall of the Future”. Made of green glass, it symbolises our shared Earth, including the green Baltic forests. Using a unique technology that forms condensation on the glass, the green wall will become an interactive platform on which every visitor will be able to leave a message. Visitors’ messages will disappear within a few minutes, creating a new platform for future visitors and their messages. The intuitive experience on the large-format wall is intended to be an inclusive, visible, tangible, sensory environment, allowing every visitor to express themselves, regardless of gender, age, language or ability.
KETTLER association of persons won the opportunity to design the Baltic Pavilion by winning the design contest organised by LIAA and the State Chancellery of the Republic of Lithuania, where 14 proposals were received and evaluated by a professional jury from Latvia and Lithuania. KETTLER consists of the following members: SIA Inspired, SIA 7 A.M., SIA Variant Studio, SIA Ozols IR, SIA AD production and SIA Datu tehnoloģiju grupa.
Lāsma Līdaka, Director of the Expo Pavilion, presented the project and the business programme that will help Latvian companies enter the Japanese market and achieve the project’s goals:
Participation in Expo 2025 is a unique opportunity to position Latvia internationally as a country focused on technology and innovation development. In addition to the country’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, a separate business programme has been developed to reach the Japanese market, in which Latvian companies are invited to participate to achieve both the objectives of promoting the country’s image and exportability. The business programme already includes more than 13 exhibitions relevant to IT and technology, construction, medical, pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and other industries. Businesses can find the most up-to-date business programme for reaching the Japanese market in 2024 and 2025, as well as opportunities to get involved in creating content for the Baltic Pavilion here (in Latvian): https://www.liaa.gov.lv/lv/jaunumi/expo-2025-osaka-japana.
The Expo will also include three main events: National Day of Latvia on 20 May 2025, National Day of Lithuania on 6 July 2025 and Baltic Day on 23 August 2025, highlighting the culture and traditions of each country as well as business achievements.”
Expo 2025 Osaka is the world’s most important exhibition for national image-building and export promotion, addressing not only economic but also social issues of global importance. The exhibition will bring together 160 countries and 9 international organisations and is expected to attract more than 28 million visitors from all over the world. The exhibition is a place to see national and regional showcases, as well as to create new technologies and innovations to tackle global challenges by sharing the world’s knowledge and ideas. The main theme of the exhibition is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, while the sub-theme approved by the organisers for the Baltic Pavilion is “Saving Lives”, which focuses on improving the quality of life through the latest technologies while respecting high environmental standards.