By Alyssa JohnstonExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — Atlantic Canada was the focus of attention for a few days at Canada’s Expo pavilion, with a strong emphasis on the region’s agricultural products and seafood. The events held Sept. 18-20 included a delegation from Atlantic Canada, including P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz. “We are here to strengthen investment and trading ties with Japan...

By Alyssa JohnstonExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — Canada’s pavilion at Expo 2025 has been nominated as being one of the best large pavilions and also best at integrating technology into its public presentation. The nominations are for the so-called World Expolympics contest recognizing top pavilions in a number of categories. The Experiential Design Authority (TEDA) announced the finalists for its...

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan —The Canadian classic Anne of Green Gables has long had a following in Japan. No surprise then that one of the hit attractions at the Canada Pavilion at the Osaka Expo has been showings of the new Japanese anime series Anne Shirley. Produced by Fuji Creative and the Anne Shirley Production Committee for the...

By Alyssa JohnstonExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — The head of Canada’s team at Expo 2025 joined a panel on women’s empowerment called “Breaking down barriers, building futures,” held at the Expo 2025 Women’s Pavilion on Sept. 4. The event was led by members from Chile who presented on the frameworks they have built for women in their country. Four panelists...

By Alyssa JohnstonExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — With just over a month left until the Osaka Expo ends, some are asking what kind of achievements participant countries will bring home from the six-month-long event? The Canada Pavilion hosted a lunch discussion on Sept. 3 with researchers from around the world and leaders from other pavilions to discuss nation branding at...

by Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — The performance stage has been one of the defining features of the Canada Pavilion at Expo 2025, with a stream of performers providing audiences with a different take on Canada. As Japanese children return to school and the scorching summer heat tones down, the pavilion and the entire Expo itself can look back...

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — A youth choir from British Columbia used its time at Expo to promote the Canada pavilion themes of Indigenous reconciliation and youth-to-youth connections between Canada and Japan. After a jam-packed lineup of Indigenous musical events in mid-August, the pavilion carried on the theme through a series of performances by the Richmond Youth Honour...

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — Expo officials bowed in apology at a chaotic press conference that followed the disruption caused to an estimated 30,000 Expo visitors stranded on site Wednesday when the only subway station servicing the sprawling Expo site shut down. Local news was dominated by reports of the confusion at Expo and complaints from stranded visitors....

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — Performing at Expo during Indigenous Week, the Juno-award-winning group Digging Roots punctuated their music with spoken messages translated into Japanese about the injustices caused by residential schools and climate change. In a star-studded week of performances organized by the Canada Pavilion, Digging Roots was one of the bands that came to embody the...

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — At a time when traditional diplomacy has been turned on its head, the Expo World’s Fair in Osaka has been a chance to foster international conversations and project Canadian values, says the head of Canada’s Expo delegation here. The event has also given Canada a chance to enhance its longstanding relations with key...

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — Indigenous artists from Canada are taking centre stage at the Osaka Expo. As part of a showcase organized by the National Arts Centre (NAC), several prominent Indigenous artists and art groups have gathered at the Canada Pavilion to promote Indigenous rights and present their culture to Japanese audiences. Some of the prominent artists...

By Sean CoombsExpo Reporter OSAKA, Japan — The Canada Pavilion at the Osaka Expo is a gleaming white structure that juts four stories into the air, designed to represent ice floes during the transition from winter to spring. That concept permeates the pavilion itself and focuses on the notion of regeneration. The theme goes deeper than the physical structure and...