Representatives of over 70 countries and international organizations gathered in Yokohama for an International Participants Meeting (IPM) ahead of Horticultural Expo 2027. With Expo preparations advancing steadily, the two-day meeting provides an opportunity for Organizer and Participants to refine their plans for the next Horticultural Expo, less than nine months ahead of its opening on March 19, 2027.
The IPM brings together Expo participants, Japanese officials, Expo Organizers and representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) for sessions centered on different aspects of the Expo’s planning, including pavilion and garden designs, site operations, theme development and cultural programming.
Organizer and Participants exchanged on the interpretation of the Expo theme “Scenery of the Future for Happiness,” which places at its core the relationship between humanity and nature. Discussions also focused on the shared goal of leveraging the Expo to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably in the area of agriculture, food security, climate change and biodiversity loss.
The agenda also covered the Expo’s events calendar and the organization of National Days and Special Days. Working Groups were also held according to the participation type, with some countries building their own pavilions and gardens and other taking part within exhibition halls built by the Organizer.
The meeting concluded with a visit to the Expo site, situated in Kanagawa, in the northwestern part of Yokohama. Attendees had the opportunity to see the progress made so far at the Expo, now just over 250 days from opening. In an effort to showcase circularity and sustainable resource use, several structures and facilities on the site incorporate materials previously used at World Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, reflecting continuity in sustainability practices across Expos.
Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, the Secretary General of the BIE, stated: “The success of an Expo is ultimately measured not by its structures or its landscapes, but by the ideas, experiences, and perspectives that participants bring to it. Just as the world came together at World Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai to explore how we can design future societies for our lives, Expo 2027 Yokohama invites us to reflect on the natural foundations upon which those societies depend.”
Horticultural Expos have been recognized by the BIE since 1960. They aim to foster cooperation and the sharing of knowledge and solutions between countries, horticultural producers and agricultural industry by addressing the paramount issues of healthy lifestyles, green economies, sustainable living, education and innovation. Expo 2027 Yokohama, also promoted as “GREEN × EXPO 2027,” will be the first Horticultural Expo organized in Japan since Expo 1990 Osaka.
