Photo/Illutration The National Day Hall “Ray Garden” where the National Day ceremonies will be held at the Osaka Kansai Expo 2025, is seen on April 9. (Takayo Oyama)

In addition to the eye-catching architecture of the pavilions, the Osaka Expo will host “National Days” celebrating each of the participating countries throughout the expo’s run.

To promote international exchange, each country will get its own National Day to present its culture and history at the world’s fair, which some royalty and heads of state are planning to attend.

Starting with Turkmenistan on April 14 and continuing through Haiti on Oct. 11, a National Day event is scheduled almost every day of the expo.

Visitors can participate by making a reservation in advance through the expo’s official website.

Ceremonies, including the raising of the participating countries’ flags, will be held in the National Day Hall “Ray Garden,” which seats around 500 in the southeast of the Grand Ring.

The cultural programs planned by the various countries will be diverse.

For example, Tonga, an island nation in the South Pacific with a population of about 100,000, will present a traditional dance featuring intricate hand movements on April 18.

South Korea will host live performances by several world-famous K-pop artists and a costume parade representing the diplomatic mission sent by the Joseon Dynasty to Japan during the Edo Period (1603-1867) on May 13.

On May 21, the Netherlands will host the dance company Introdans, which will showcase inclusive dances that performers of different ages, nationalities and disabilities can enjoy together.

Austria will hold a concert by the Vienna Boys’ Choir, which has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, on May 23.

Alf Netek, project manager of Austria’s Expo Office Team, said that the choir is a symbol of the country’s musical traditions, and that he hopes relations between Austria and Japan will deepen through the universal language of music.

Hungary will hold a performance by the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble on May 24.

In addition to music and dance, some countries are planning business-related events.

Zimbabwe will hold an event with experts and government officials explaining tourism and economic policies on July 16.

The Central African Republic will host a similar event on Aug. 1, as will the Republic of Mali on Aug. 2.

The Tokyo International Conference on African Development will be held in Yokohama from Aug. 20 to 22.

The countries participating in this conference view the expo as a place for business exchange and hope to “attract a lot of investment.”

Some royalty and heads of state will also visit Japan during their countries’ respective National Days.

From Denmark, which will host its National Day on April 24, King Frederik X, who ascended the throne in January 2024, will visit the expo.

From the Netherlands, King Willem-Alexander is also planning to visit the world’s fair.

Marc Kuipers, the Netherlands’ consul-general in Osaka who represents the Dutch government at the expo, said that the king’s visit is intended to show the utmost respect to the host country and that he hopes the Japanese people will experience Dutch culture through the National Day event.

The United States will hold its National Day on July 19. President Donald Trump is reportedly interested in visiting that day.

However, even though the dates of the National Day have been set, many of the details of the events have yet to be revealed.

(This article was written by Ryuichiro Fukuoka and Akina Nishi.)

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