On April 17, U.S. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel visited Osaka to break ground on the USA Pavilion site. Ambassador Emanuel celebrated the groundbreaking at an evening reception with Minister for World Expo 2025 Jimi Hanako and, earlier in the day, he joined Expo 2025 Commissioner General Ambassador Haneda Koji, Osaka Prefecture Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi, and City of Osaka Mayor Yokoyama Hideyuki for a ceremony at the pavilion site.
In celebration of this milestone, the United States is proud to announce that MGM Resorts International has signed a letter of intent to sponsor the USA Pavilion. MGM’s support will help to create a Pavilion that reflects the United States’ culture, creativity, artistry, and diversity.
During the groundbreaking ceremony, Ambassador Emanuel remarked, “Japan’s temple design for its pavilion at the 1893 World Exposition in my hometown of Chicago was the talk of the city. I expect the same reaction when the impressive USA Pavilion opens at Expo 2025 in Osaka next year. The pavilion will celebrate those foundational American ideals of innovation and exploration through collaboration and inspire visitors to dream big and join the United States as we pursue advancements in everything from technology and energy to space exploration and education.”
The celebration included a special performance from the award-winning Broadway musical Chicago, an example of the cultural performances that will be on display at the USA Pavilion to showcase American culture.
With less than one year until the April 13, 2025—opening day—Expo 2025 Osaka is expected to welcome millions of visitors over its six-month duration. The USA Pavilion will hold its national day—a day of entertainment, special guests, music, and parades—on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
USA Pavilion Design
The USA Pavilion’s wabi-sabi-inspired exterior epitomizes the theme “Imagine What We Can Create Together.” This theme invites visitors to join with the United States to develop advances in sustainability, space exploration, education, and entrepreneurship through exchange, cooperation, and collaboration. The Pavilion exterior will consist of two triangular buildings with wooden facades, joined by an illuminated, suspended translucent cube. Two large LED screens will project iconic images and landmarks from the United States of America, forming a “canyon” that welcomes Expo attendees and invites visitors to listen, taste, and explore. As guests pass under the cube, they will enter an open-air courtyard with an outdoor performance space where musicians, dancers, artists, speakers, and chefs representing regions throughout the United States will provide education, entertainment, and inspiration to millions of visitors. The Pavilion will also offer exciting and delicious regional American cuisine and an authentic American retail experience.
The Pavilion design and materials focus on sustainability, with the steel structure and tensile fabric used in the construction of the USA Pavilion reused from temporary structures built for the Tokyo Olympics and other events. At the conclusion of Expo 2025, these materials will be recycled for use at future events. The Pavilion will also utilize reusable HVAC and plumbing equipment and will incorporate design elements that support increased energy efficiency, recycling, and the use of sustainable materials.
USA Pavilion Partners
The State Department selected ES Global Inc., a global firm specializing in the planning, construction, and dismantling of temporary structures for cultural events, to design and build the USA Pavilion. ES Global partnered with New Orleans-based Trahan Architects to develop the design of the building and with Alchemy for project management. On March 15, 2024, ES Global K.K. signed a contract with Keihin Co. Ltd., a Japanese general contractor, to provide the groundworks, foundation, and structure for the Pavilion.
See the concept designs by Trahan Architects for the USA Pavilion for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.
ES Global also partnered with Los Angeles-based BRC Imagination Arts, an experiential planning and design firm, to develop immersive exhibits and storytelling allowing visitors to envision themselves studying at U.S. universities, touring various parts of the United States, appreciating our nation’s natural beauty, and joining us for an exciting journey back to the moon as well as in our exploration of other galaxies.
