UK at World Expo 2025
Osaka, Kansai

On April 28 Event we celebrated the opening of Expo 2025, Osaka Kansai and the UK’s involvement with an event in partnership with the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts (RSA) at the RSA House in London.  

It was a fitting home for such a moment, with the RSA playing a pioneering role in the very first Expo (formerly named The Great Exhibition) held in 1851 in London’s Hyde Park – just down the road from RSA House.  

In many ways Monday’s ‘Come Build the Future’ event bore many similarities to the first World Fair over 170 years ago, with the championing of the UK’s industrial and artistic achievements on a world stage, against the backdrop of optimism, collaboration and confidence in the power of ideas to improve lives.  

The event was introduced by Japan Embassy’s Minister Kyoichiro Kawakami and RSA Chair Sir Lloyd Grossman. They heralded the opening of Expo and championed the flourishing UK and Japan relationship, with the Minister mentioning that the UK Pavilion has already become a ‘beacon for visitors from Japan and across the globe’ welcoming more than 1 million visitors since opening its doors on 14 April.   

A panel discussion followed, facilitated by Nina Nannar, Arts Editor at ITV News. Panel members comprised: Sir Peter Bazalgette, Co-Chair of the Creative Industries Council; YolanDa Brown, Chair of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI); Dai Fujikura, a London-based and Osaka-born composer; Indy Johar, Founder of Dark Matter Labs; and Liana O’Cleirigh, an interaction designer who studied in Japan.  

The creative industries were the focal point of the evening, with the power of collaboration and shared learning a thread that ran through the discussions.   

The ‘Come build the future’ event was the first in a series organised by the UK at Expo team in RSA’s partnership. Three more Expo 2025 events are due to take place later this year, examining gender equity and justice, the future of sustainability and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Book now to secure your tickets for the next RSA Expo 2025 event. 

And for those that missed Monday’s ‘Come Build The Future’ Event you can watch here.