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Emilia-Romagna protagonist at the Osaka Expo

From 21 to 27 September, the Region tells the universal exhibition in Japan about its territory capable of combining deep roots, future vision and innovation

by Giorgia Colucci

18 September 2025

Padiglione Italia Expo Osaka 2025. (Imagoeconomica)

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Agribusiness, automotive, high technology and the tourist attraction of Emilia-Romagna land in Japan. They will in fact be among the central themes of the week (21-27 September) that will see the Region protagonist at'Expo Osaka 2025, the universal exhibition taking place in Japan on the artificial island of Yumeshima. It is an occasion to tell, through institutional appointments and moments of confrontation to the international public, an area capable of uniting deep roots, future vision and innovation.

The aim is to create new economic, scientific and cultural alliances, fostering the exchange of knowledge, experiences and good practices between territorial systems that share the same vocation for innovation and sustainable growth. The Regional Third Sector will also be presented for the first time, but there will also be space for cultural creativity, from the Italian Mangaka to the Cineteca di Bologna, and performances by Orchestra Casadei, Aterballetto and Toscanini Academy-Next. The delegation is led by the president of the Region, Michele de Pascale, together with vice-president Vincenzo Colla and undersecretary Manuela Rontini. With them, the President of the Legislative Assembly, Maurizio Fabbri, and the Vice-President, Giancarlo Tagliaferri.

Consolidated Reports

The Osaka Expo is the latest act in a consolidated cooperation relationship with Japan that has been going on for almost forty years, since 1986 when the 'friendship protocol' was signed between Emilia-Romagna and the Prefecture of Ibaraki. Since then, institutional meetings, missions and collaborations have concerned strategic sectors such as research, innovation, industry, agribusiness and culture, extending the ties also to the Osaka Prefecture. A long-term relationship that is now renewed with the objective of strengthening cooperation on innovation, economic development and cultural exchanges.

"We are here to bring Japan, with which we have been collaborating for some time, particularly with the Prefectures of Osaka and Ibaraki, even closer to our land,' says President de Pascale. On the strength of a regional ecosystem that combines innovation and social cohesion, research and manufacturing excellence, culture and quality of life, we want to establish new collaborations with the support of our universities, research centres, and the business world. Tourism, orange economy, automotive, agri-food, are elements to be valorised and made known to a public, the Japanese one, which is refined and receptive. But that is not all. The great world showcase in Osaka allows us to push the internationalisation of Emilia-Romagna with the aim of strengthening economic, scientific, and cultural relations and, in addition to creating opportunities for our young talents, to contribute, with our 'know-how', to the global challenges of the coming years'.

Space for agricultural and food excellence

Among the stars of the event will also be the agro-food excellence of Emilia-Romagna. The region's PDO and PGI products have reached a record number of 44, with 5,968 operators, including 4,972 agricultural producers and 1,477 processing companies, worth about 39% of Italian protected geographical indication turnover. The area also counts 30 quality-certified wines, of which 21 PDO and 9 PGI, with a market that includes 10,137 operators and 934 processors. All of these are very popular products even in Japan, a country that absorbs 1.6% of Emilia-Romagna exports and is 15th in the ranking of international destination markets, still allowing wide margins of penetration.

In general, Emilia-Romagna's agri-food system is one of the most important sectors, with a utilised agricultural surface area of 1,044,824 hectares, equal to 8.3% of the Italian surface area, 53,753 companies and 127,280 employees, of which 65,000 in agriculture, forestry and fishing and 64,000 in the food industry. Numbers that bring to 8.6 billion euro the value of agricultural production (11.1% of the national total) and to 37 billion euro the production of the agro-food industry, which accounts for 7.5% of the Italian total, with exports of 10.5 billion euro (15.6% of the national total).

Valorising the agri-food heritage

'A new and concrete opportunity to give maximum visibility to the excellence of our agri-food chain,' explained Regio President Michele de Pascale. Our products are appreciated all over the world and Japan represents a strategic market for us. In a context of fierce global competition, quality emerges as a decisive factor for maintaining competitiveness and conquering new markets. This is why our agrifood sector, also thanks to the PDO and PGI it boasts, continues to ensure extremely positive results that we must support and strengthen. A quality that is synonymous with care, as demonstrated by Emilia-Romagna's continuous investment in organic farming, which also represents a constant commitment to caring for the environment in which we live. We therefore have all the prerequisites to enhance and promote at Expo 2025this heritage of ours, made up of innovation, research and above all people'.

The programme

The Emilia-Romagna Week (21-27 September) will be opened by President Michele de Pascale and the Commissioner General for Italy at Expo Osaka, Ambassador Mario Vattani. On the calendar there will be numerous institutional appointments to strengthen relations with Japan and intensify exchanges, in particular with the Prefectures of Osaka and Ibaraki. Then, on 22 September, the event 'United Nations University on AI and the impact of AI on the future of our societies' is scheduled, which will accompany the imminent opening of the Bologna branch of the United Nations University and open the international debate on the implications of artificial intelligence for human development. On the sidelines of the conference, President de Pascale will meet with Rector Tshilidzi Marwala.

On 24 September, space will be given to the national event promoted by ENEA with the Italian Embassy in Tokyo on 'Nuclear Fusion, Hydrogen and Digitisation for the Energy Transition', with the participation of the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and ENEA President, Francesca Mariotti. On 25 September, it will be the turn of "Japan talks about Italy", promoted by the Ministry for Enterprise and Made in Italy with the Emilia-Romagna Region and devoted to attracting investments: on stage will be large Japanese companies already rooted in Italy, such as Toyota and Nikon, together with Italian companies such as Marposs. To complete the programme, music and entertainment: the Orchestra Casadei with the Unesco heritage liscio, Aterballetto with Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, and the Academy Toscanini-Next concerts, which will bring young under-35 musicians on stage.