World Expo 2025: France places its pavilion under the sign of love

The French pavilion will be inaugurated in the presence of two of its patrons, actress Sophie Marceau and judoka Teddy Riner.

The "Expo-2025", which will take place from April 13 to October 13 on the artificial island of Yumeshima, follows in the footsteps of the 1970 edition organized in the same city of Osaka (west) and which had a major impact on Japan.

Three years after Expo 2019 in Dubai, Osaka has chosen the theme "the society of the future," focusing on artificial intelligence and space.

Highlights include a Martian meteorite, a tiny beating heart grown using stem cells, and 32 Hello Kitty sculptures disguised as algae.

Organized regularly throughout the world since 1851 (the 1889 World's Fair left its legacy in the Eiffel Tower in Paris), World's Fairs offer participating countries the opportunity to compete through the architecture of their pavilions and the presentation of their cultures, techniques and know-how.

For this edition, the pavilions are surrounded by the largest wooden architectural structure in the world, an imposing "Great Ring" symbol of unity.

"We wanted a pavilion rooted in values ​​and emotion," Jacques Maire, general commissioner of the French Pavilion and president of the French Exhibition Company (Cofrex), told AFP.

Designed by a Franco-Italian consortium led by Frenchman Thomas Coldefy, the building is enveloped in immense white drapes.

Red string

France was inspired by the Japanese legend of "akai ito," a common thread evoking the union of two people linked by an invisible and indestructible cord. "We must create ties and explain that we share common values ​​with Japan," explains Mr. Maire.

This is all the more true in the face of growing geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, with Paris showing its support for Tokyo in favour of an international order based on cooperation and dialogue.

The permanent exhibition in the pavilion, covering 1.560 m2, has had its scenography entrusted to visual artist Justine Emard, blending Japanese culture and French heritage.

Including, in addition to sculptures by Rodin, a giant Aubusson tapestry inspired by the film "Princess Mononoke" by the Ghibli animation studio... under the watchful eye of a chimera-gargoyle that survived the Notre-Dame fire.

Along the way, there are French luxury giants, Alsatian wines... "If we want to give confidence to young people, it is by placing technology in its true dimension as a response to the fundamental needs of man and nature," argues Mr. Maire.

Disappointing ticketing

Over the course of six months, France aims to welcome three million visitors to its pavilion.

But the difficulties in selling Expo 2025 tickets have illustrated the complexity of the online purchasing system and the Japanese's lack of interest in the event.

A week before the opening, total ticket sales had reached 8.701.432 tickets... for a target of 28 million visitors over six months.

"The Expo is too focused on the Japanese (...) there is a real difficulty in taking foreign audiences into account," regrets Jacques Maire, while counting on the success of the French pavilion - where he expects long queues, the place only welcoming 2.500 to 3.000 visitors per hour.

The French Pavilion, which cost 58 million euros (42,5 million of which was financed by the State), has suffered, like other participating countries, a surge in costs: rising prices for raw materials, a shortage of labor in the construction industry in Japan, etc.

This represents, according to Mr. Maire, an increase in the cost per m2 of 30% to 40% compared to the period preceding the construction site.

The structure, which is temporary like all the other Osaka 2025 pavilions, is intended to be "sustainable," with steel structures designed to be recycled or reused, a "double exterior skin" optimizing its thermal performance during the harsh Japanese summer, and a green roof.

As Japan experienced its hottest summer in history in 2024, a shaded structure will shelter queues and a 330 m² garden area has been created around an olive tree reputed to be thousands of years old.

The France Pavilion will feature temporary exhibitions, from crafts to technological innovations and ocean exploration.

Expo 2025 in Osaka: Five things to know

An impressive wooden ring, a strange blue and red mascot, and nearly 160 participating countries on an artificial island: Expo 2025 opens Sunday in the Japanese city of Osaka and will last six months.

Three years after Dubai, Osaka 2025 has chosen as its theme "Designing the society of the future, imagining our lives tomorrow." The Japanese metropolis had already hosted the World Expo in 1970.

"Great Ring"

The "Great Ring," a gigantic wooden structure, will be the visual symbol of Expo 2025. Its creator, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, intended it as a tribute to his country's architectural history and a symbol of unity.

This impressive ring, approximately 2 km in circumference and 20 m in height, recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world by Guinness World Records in March, will encircle dozens of national pavilions.

The massive beams support a slightly sloping green roof, which will serve as a promenade but also as protection against the sun or rain.

The Expo is a "wonderful opportunity to show that Japan has a long history" of wooden construction, Fujimoto told AFP in December.

The use of wood evokes the "beautiful cycle" of trees absorbing carbon dioxide and is a "sustainable" choice, he insisted.

But some question the truly renewable nature of this work, which cost the equivalent of 211 million euros (34,4 billion yen).

The Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported that only 12,5% ​​of the temporary structure would be reused after the Expo, compared to the 25% initially planned.

"Mysterious" mascot

Named "Myaku-Myaku," the Expo 2025 mascot is an intriguing, smiling blue and red creature adorned with five globular eyes, with a rounded tail bearing a sixth eye.

The onomatopoeia "Myaku-Myaku" evokes the beating of the heart: the character represents "a mysterious creature born from the fusion of cells and water", who "likes to bask in the sun", "sometimes changes appearance" and "forgets its original form" according to the organizers.

The red of what appears to be the mascot's head symbolizes "cells," while the blue of the body and mouth evokes "pure, fluid, and changing water."

Despite some puzzled reactions upon its unveiling, the mascot has become popular among social media users in Japan, and has even inspired fan art.

Mixed sales

One week before the opening of Expo 2025, total ticket sales reached 8.701.432 tickets... for a target of 28 million visitors over the six months.

Polls have long highlighted the Japanese's disinterest in the event and a distrust linked to its costly budget.

Difficulties in selling tickets, due in part to a complex online platform, prompted Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to announce in February that tickets could be purchased on-site and on the day.

Organizers hope to take advantage of the record number of foreign tourists visiting the archipelago, attracted by the weak yen.

Expo Osaka 1970 had long held the attendance record for a World Expo, with 64,2 million admissions. This record was only surpassed in 2010 by the Shanghai edition.

Ukraine at the meeting

Ukraine will participate in the Japanese Expo to promote a "message of peace," despite its critical situation in the face of the Russian invasion.

"Ukraine's participation, despite facing an extremely difficult situation, is significant because it brings peace," Osaka's governor said in November.

Eighteen items will be on display at the Expo, including helmets used to repair electrical installations damaged by the Russian offensive, as well as rescue boats, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Visitors will also be able to watch videos of classes given to children in shelters, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy.

Russia, for its part, announced in 2023, the year following its invasion of Ukraine, that it would not participate in the event.

"Hymn to Love"

French innovation and know-how will be promoted in a pavilion dedicated to "a hymn to love."

Entirely draped in white, the France building aims to offer visitors an "immersive, sensory and emotional universe," according to the French Exhibition Company (Cofrex).

Inside, you'll find sculptures on loan from the Rodin Museum, and a giant Aubusson tapestry inspired by a scene from "Princess Mononoke," the film by the Ghibli animation studio.

The permanent exhibition, covering an area of ​​1.560 m³ (including 330 m³ of garden), showcases French companies and gastronomy.

The pavilion, which also includes 200 m³ of temporary exhibitions, a bistro and an events space, will be inaugurated on Sunday in the presence of two of its patrons, actress Sophie Marceau and judoka Teddy Riner.

The two other sponsors, Antoine Dupont and Léa Seydoux, will go there later.