2025 OCTOBER
Nordic Kansai Business Alliance (NKBA) Launches to Strengthen Nordic-Japanese Business and Cultural Ties
Five Chambers of Commerce in Japan—Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—are proud to announce the official launch of the Nordic Kansai Business Alliance (NKBA). This new initiative aims to deepen collaboration and foster sustainable business growth between the Nordics and Japan, building on the momentum created by the successful Nordic Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka.
NKBA is a collaborative platform that enhances Nordic visibility in Kansai through joint chamber events, regional partnerships through shared operational resources. While each Nordic Chamber remains independent, the alliance reflects shared Nordic values of innovation, sustainability, and trust. NKBA also works as a platform for Japanese companies with business interests in the Nordic region.
Networks and Trust Built Through the EXPO 2025 Osaka Kansai
Since the opening of Expo 2025 in April, the Nordic Pavilion has hosted more than 200 corporate events, welcoming over 1.6 million visitors. This impressive record reflects the close collaboration among the five Nordic countries, each bringing its unique strengths to a shared platform. Through these activities, Nordic businesses and organizations have expanded their networks and forged meaningful relationships with Japanese partners across a wide range of fields.
In the energy sector, discussions focused on renewable energy and green technologies. In architecture and design, participants explored human-centered urban development and wellbeing. Beyond that, collaborations and new project opportunities emerged in lifestyle, tourism, education, and many other sectors, involving Japanese companies, municipalities, and research institutions.
These events went far beyond simple exhibitions or business meetings. They became platforms for deep dialogue on critical shared themes—such as climate action, the future of urban life, and building trust between people—attracting strong interest and engagement from participants in Japan and abroad.
Present for the announcement of the launch at Osaka Expo Nordic Pavilion on October 11 was a group of high level participants representing all five Nordic countries:
Erik Slottner, Minister for Public Administration of Sweden (SE)
Anders Adlercreutz, Finnish Minister for Education and Nordic Cooperation (FI)
Magnus Schöldtz, Chairman, Nordic Pavilion, Expo 2025 Osaka (SE)
Finn Kristian Aamodt, Commissioner General for Norway, Expo 2025 Osaka (NO)
Karen Ellemann, Secretary General, The Nordic Council of Ministers (DK)
Aya Wada, Director-General, City of Osaka (JP)
Ragnar Thorvardarson, Commissioner General for Iceland, Expo 2025 Osaka (IS)
Hiroyuki Baba, Director-General, Osaka Prefecture (JP)
Petra Färe, Chairperson, The Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Japan (SE)
Ida Roine, Chairperson, The Finnish Chamber of Commerce in Japan (FI)
Extending the “Connections” Beyond Expo
The NKBA was launched with the goal of ensuring that the networks and trust built during the Expo will not end with the event, but instead evolve into long-term collaborations with local communities and stakeholders in Kansai.
NKBA serves as a collaborative platform to further strengthen Nordic presence in the Kansai region through joint chamber events while also welcoming Japanese companies with business interests in the Nordics.
Carrying the Legacy of the Expo into the Future
The encounters, partnerships, and ideas born on the international stage of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai will not fade with the closing ceremony. Instead, they will be cultivated into lasting partnerships with local society and the regional economy.
This is the mission of the NKBA and represents the first step toward a shared future between the five Nordic countries and the Kansai region. By positioning the Expo not as an ending, but as a beginning, the NKBA aims to create a sustainable legacy that connects the Nordics and Kansai for generations to come.
About the Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish Chambers of Commerce in Japan
The Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish Chambers are independent, non-profit organizations representing over 400 companies and professionals. They have a long history of promoting trade, innovation, and cultural exchange between Japan and the Nordic region, with roots tracing back to the 1970s. For more details, please visit the chambers’ official websites:
