The joint pavilion (Estonia declined to participate) 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."
The slogan/concept being employed by the two countries is “We Are One” which "aims to discover and stimulate the power of human cooperation to build a better future."
According to those behind the pavilion, EXPO 2025 presents an excellent opportunity to increase commerce with Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy.
“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,” said 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 EXPO opens on April 13, 2025. The joint participation of Latvia and Lithuania is organized by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and the Office of the Government of Lithuania.
“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 center 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,” said exhibition designer and artist Artūrs Analts.
This installation technology, developed in Latvia, has previously been a hit at an art exhibition in the United Kingdom. In the Baltic Pavilion in Osaka,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."
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, a bit like a car window on a cold morning.
EXPO Osaka will bring together 160 countries and 9 international organisations and is expected to attract more than 28 million visitors from all over the world.
However, it is worth remembering that there is a history of what is promised and what is finally delivered being not quite the same thing in recent EXPO history. Ten years ago Latvia pulled out of the Milan EXPO event entirely at the last minute despite having sunk more than a million euros into the project, leading to protracted legal wrangles.
