On Monday 15 January 2024, our BelExpo team, led by commissioner-general Pieter De Crem, visited the mayor of Osaka, Hideyuki Yokoyama. The mayor gave us a warm welcome at Osaka City Hall. The BelExpo team was accompanied by colleagues from the Embassy of Belgium in Tokyo, led by H.E. Ambassador Antoine Evrard.
The meeting with Mayor Yokoyama during which various administrative and practical matters were discussed proved to be a very pleasant and fruitful one. During the meeting, the BelExpo team discovered that the Japanese authorities were very happy with the timing of the laying of the first brick scheduled for the following day (our Ground-Breaking Ceremony).
The mayor assured that Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture want to improve construction conditions on Yumeshima Island. They are working very hard to make Expo 2025 Osaka a success. In doing so, they guarantee their full support for Belgium and the construction of the Belgian pavilion to ensure the smoothest possible construction.
Furthermore, they also offer as much support as possible regarding other important points involved in such participation in a World Expo, such as housing for staff and so on.
The BelExpo team and our Commissioner-general were very pleased with how the meeting went and thanks the mayor for the welcome.
Wondering what such a meeting looks like? Find out here: