Swiss pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka

The Osaka–Kansai World Expo (Expo 2025) was held from April 13 to October 13, 2025, marking the second edition organized in this city, 55 years after the one in 1970. With the participation of 158 countries and 7 non-governmental organizations, and over 29 million visitors, the event achieved significant success, mainly among the Japanese and Asian public. This large-scale international platform offered Switzerland a privileged opportunity to showcase its excellence in innovation, as well as its political, economic, scientific, and social strengths.

On May 12, 2021, the Federal Council decided on Switzerland’s official participation in Expo 2025. This decision was approved by the National Council on September 2, 2022, and then by the Council of States on December 8, 2022, with the allocation of a commitment credit of 16.7 million francs.

Beyond visitor numbers and media coverage, the Swiss Pavilion was also designed as a long-term accelerator serving Switzerland’s interests. Through close collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan and Swissnex in Japan, it has not only delivered a six-month programme, but also laid the groundwork to strengthen diplomatic, scientific and economic ties well beyond the Expo itself.

Alexandre Edelmann, head of Presence Switzerland. 

“From Heid to High-Tech” 

Japan, Switzerland’s leading economic partner in Asia and the world’s fourth-largest economy, represents a strategic market. Switzerland’s presence in Osaka was built around the central theme “Innovative Switzerland,” with the aim of moving beyond traditional representations associated with the country (nature, tourism, quality of life) in order to position it as a hub for innovation and sustainable technologies, as well as a strong and reliable partner for Japan.

Three themes—Augmented Human, Life, and Planet—were defined based on a survey conducted among stakeholders in education, research, and innovation (ERI) in Japan and Switzerland, to ensure that the Swiss proposal fully meets the specific needs and priorities of the Japanese public and market.

The concept of the Swiss Pavilion centered on using the visitor journey as the primary vehicle to showcase Switzerland’s culture of innovation. Under the slogan ‘From Heidi to High-Tech’, visitors were invited on an exploratory journey through four thematic spheres that intertwined Switzerland’s Alpine heritage, which is highly appreciated in Japan, with its contemporary position as a global leader in science, technology and innovation.

Sustainability at the heart

In the spirit of Expo 2025, conceived as a platform for dialogue around a sustainable future, Switzerland developed a pavilion exemplary in environmental terms. Its fluid and organic architecture, combining lightweight materials with energy efficiency, integrated harmoniously into a green and serene setting.
The construction of the pavilion was made possible through the collaboration between architect Manuel Herz, general contractor NUSSLI Group, scenographers Bellprat Partner and landscape architect Robin Winogrond, following a competitive ‘design&build’ tender process. The ambition to create ‘’the lightest pavilion ever built by Switzerland for a world expo’’ shaped the winning project, with the goal of participating in the event while keeping the environmental impact to a strict minimum.

A successful journey

With over one million visitors from 40 nationalities, the Swiss Pavilion ranked among the most popular at the World Expo, according to numerous official and media rankings, highlighted by several awards received. The pavilion’s virtual presence on the Yumeshima: Islands in the Sky application attracted an additional 40,000 visitors.

A representative survey conducted among 1,075 visitors shows that Switzerland’s presence was rated very positively by the vast majority of visitors: 54% indicated that the pavilion left a “very good” impression, and an additional 43% described it as a “good” impression. The most appreciated aspects were the aesthetics and design, as well as the warm atmosphere created by welcoming and attentive staff. Although Switzerland already enjoyed an excellent reputation among most visitors prior to their visit, nine out of ten people stated that discovering the pavilion further improved their image of the country. The main themes mentioned in the survey were innovation, tourism, health, sustainability, and a sense of responsibility.

Along with my dedicated team, it’s now time to say goodbye. We’re taking home not just unforgettable memories, but also Swiss connections with so many countries. Like the Grand Ring, we were able to experience the world connected as a whole, with valuable takeaways that will accompany us into future Expos. Collaborative innovation in its purest form. Thank you – どうもありがとうございます!

Manuel Salchli, Commissioner General Swiss Pavilion Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

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