Grand Duke Henri visits the land of the rising sun

During the world exhibition, which takes place in Osaka, Japan from April to October, each exhibiting country has its own “national day” on which it is more in the spotlight than usual. Luxembourg was his turn on Friday.

Accordingly, there was a program with events related to Grand Duchy, which began with an official ceremony with all Luxembourg and Japanese personalities present. The guests included Grand Duke Henri, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel and Minister of Defense Yuriko Backes.

André Hansen, General Commissioner of the Luxembourg Pavilion, and a business delegation listed by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce were also guests in Osaka.

For Luxembourg, the day was an opportunity to present itself as an integrative, dynamic and future -oriented country and at the same time celebrate its deep and permanent friendship with Japan.

Closed doors despite Luxembourg Day

Ironically, the Luxembourg Day meant that the Luxembourg Pavilion at Expo 2025 was closed to the public on this day, but all residents and citizens of the Grand Duchy were invited to a reception in the pavilion in the afternoon.

In the evening, a free concert entitled « Echoes of Tomorrow » took place in the National Day Hall on the Expo site. In addition to the Japanese dancer Maika Fujii, the renowned Luxembourg artists Francesco Tristano, Pascal Schumacher and Jill Crovisier performed.

« Echoes of Tomorrow » is about a future in which the arts not only reflect society, but also actively shape it, according to a government press release. « In an era that is increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, performance is a homage to the transformative power of human expression. It underlines the role of culture in promoting an integrative, networked and harmonious world, » says the concert.

The Grand Duke and the Minister Backes and Bettel will be a longer job visit to Japan from May 27th to June 1st. In addition to the events at Expo, Grand Duke Henri and Yuriko Backes had an audience at Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese Prime Minister, in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Backes will also meet with her Japanese counterpart General Nakatani to talk about cooperation, security and relationships with NATO, while beggar will have talks with Japanese business leaders and investors.

The article is first at « Luxembourg Times » appeared.

Translation: Dustin Mertes