Sweden-Japan Sustainability Summit：Event Report
Sweden–Japan Sustainability Summit 2025 Held at the EXPO 2025 Osaka
As Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai approaches its conclusion, the Nordic Pavilion — a joint exhibition by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden — hosted the “Sweden–Japan Sustainability Summit 2025” on Friday, October 10.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden visited Japan for the first time in seven years and made her first appearance at the Osaka Expo. On the same day, it was announced that Her Royal Highness’s tenure as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had been extended for another two years.
During her visit, the Crown Princess engaged with young people at the UN Pavilion, attended an international symposium, and delivered a message to the business community — powerfully emphasizing the importance of “co-creating a sustainable future with the next generation.”
First Sweden–Japan Sustainability Summit Held in Kansai
The Sweden–Japan Sustainability Summit 2025 has been held annually in Tokyo since 2021, and this year marked its first edition in the Kansai region. Co-organized by the Government of Sweden, Business Sweden, and Swedish companies active in Japan such as IKEA, the summit was structured around three key themes:
-Circular Lifestyles
-Future Mobility
-Net-Zero Healthcare
Each session featured distinguished experts and business leaders from Sweden and Japan who discussed shared challenges and innovative approaches toward a sustainable society. The dialogue spanned across technology, business, and lifestyle perspectives, highlighting opportunities for cross-sector collaboration.
Speakers included Mr. Erik Slottner, Sweden’s Minister for Civil Affairs, Ms. Karen Pflug, Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA, and Ms. Sara Ajnnak, an artist from Sweden’s northern Sámi region.
Ms. Ajnnak’s powerful performance — blending the traditional Sámi vocal art “joik” with electronic and contemporary sounds, accompanied by visual projections — left a lasting impression on the audience, conveying the vision of a sustainable future through art and emotion.
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria attentively followed the sessions and was seen engaging directly with several speakers. The summit served as a meaningful platform to strengthen collaboration between Sweden and Japan in the field of sustainability — spanning economy, society, and culture.
Remarks by Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria
In her address, Crown Princess Victoria began by extending her congratulations:
“First of all, I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Japan for receiving not one, but two great honors this year. One of them, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, was awarded to a professor at Osaka University. This remarkable achievement demonstrates the strength of Japan’s long-standing tradition of science and innovation — a spirit that is also vividly present here at Expo 2025.”
Reflecting on the EXPO, Her Royal Highness continued:
“Since its opening in April, this World Expo has been an important platform for Sweden to deepen its natural bonds with Japan. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all in Japan who have so successfully organized this Expo and brought together so many partners committed to sustainable growth and innovation.
In May, my father, His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf, attended Sweden’s National Day here at the Expo, accompanied by the largest-ever Swedish business delegation to visit Japan. Throughout these six months, all of Sweden’s activities at the Expo have been rooted in the themes of ‘sustainability’ and ‘innovation.’ It is therefore no coincidence that today’s Sweden–Japan Sustainability Summit serves as the culmination of our participation. This symbolizes our long-term cooperation with Japan and the Kansai region.
What has impressed me most about this Expo is the profound ‘respect for nature’ — something I deeply felt when visiting the Japan Pavilion today. I was also inspired by the belief that technology can empower us to overcome the many challenges we face. At the UN Pavilion, I met Japanese students passionately engaged in research related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their dedication filled me with hope — and reminded me that the next generation expects us to take action now.
The peoples of our two nations share both a deep respect for nature and a passion for innovation that supports a sustainable society. By walking this path together, I believe Sweden and Japan can become global leaders in shaping a sustainable future.”
A Milestone Event for Sweden–Japan Collaboration
Hosting the Sweden–Japan Sustainability Summit 2025 in Kansai, with the presence of Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria, was a great honor for the Nordic Pavilion. As the Expo draws to a close, this event stands as a powerful symbol of the enduring partnership and shared vision between Sweden and Japan toward a more sustainable world.