Beginning in mid-April, the 2025 Osaka Expo will feature a significant theme: enhancing women’s participation in society.  The Cabinet Office and French luxury brand Cartier will collaborate to run the Women’s Pavilion, which will highlight the growth of women in Japanese society.

 Former Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa urged women to work together more to foster creativity and growth at a March 10 event in Tokyo.

“From that, we can start to see a new Japan,” she said.

Toget-Her, a project spearheaded by women in leadership positions to support women’s social advancement, organized the event.

Participants discussed how they established networks and started enterprises after gaining work experience at large corporations and relocating to their local communities.

At the Expo, the Toget-Her project will host events, such as one on July 10, with the goal of introducing local female entrepreneurs to international markets.

The following day, there will be a discussion on CEO diversity and how it can improve Japan’s business competitiveness. Additionally, a project on corporate governance codes created by women will be unveiled.

“Japanese society has many issues when it comes to diversity,” said Taiko Otsuka, partner of Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory and one of the project’s founders.

“The Japanese economy will be more energetic if more people in various situations are able to shine in an aging society,” she said. “We want to promote this at the expo.”