The Papua New Guinea Government will be using the World Expo in Japan as a stage to market the country as an investor destination in the Pacific.

Minister for International Trade and Investment Richard Maru said after 50 years of bilateral relationship with Japan, PNG’s participation at the World Expo is an opportunity to start the talk of a bilateral trade agreement.

“I think we need to use the opportunity to go and market ourself and also work with the Government of Japan to have a formal bilateral trade agreement between our two countries.

“We haven’t started yet, it has taken us 50 years, and those discussions have never happened. Why cannot we leverage the opportunity Osaka is presenting us to start talking to Japan to talk about deeming the trade investment relationship between our countries and expo is a powerful way to tap into that market,” Mr Maru made this comment in Port Moresby today.

The government has made a decision to secure a commercial space outside of the expo site to display and market its products and services, and committed K3 million, as initial funding.

The Department of International Trade and Investment, acting Secretary Jacinta Manua believes the expo will help to diversify PNG exports to Japan.

PNG enjoys a trade surplus with Japan, and in 2022, the total trade amounted to nearly K14.8 million.

Major PNG exports are LNG, Petroleum and copper.

“This expo will change the story of what we export into Japan. They know us as extractive producers. We send mineral, gas and Petroleum. What we want them to touch and taste our coffee, our vanilla,”  Mrs Manua said.

Ambassador Gabriel Dusava, is the man tasked to deliver on the government desire.

The National Expo Commissioner General revealed that stakeholders consultation had already started.

“Yesterday meeting largest [and] fifth one,  over 35 different stakeholders agencies from private sector as well as Provinces participated,” Mr Dusava said.

The Osaka Expo 2025 website states that 28.2 million visitors are projected to attend from April 14 -to- October 13.