site.btaBulgaria Can Confidently Cooperate with Japan in High-Tech Sectors of the Future, President Radev Says in Osaka

Bulgaria can confidently offer Japan mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation in the high-tech sectors of the future, said President Rumen Radev during the celebration of Bulgaria Day at the Bulgarian Pavilion at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka.

Bulgaria is participating in Expo Osaka 2025 under the sub-theme "Saving Lives," which relates to healthcare, well-being, peace, human security, and dignity. The motto of the pavilion is Evolution with Nature, conveying the message that progress must be in harmony with nature. Visitors experience Bulgaria through an interactive adventure created with the help of artificial intelligence. The architect of the national pavilion is Hiroto Kobayashi, while the interior design was developed by a Bulgarian team, including architect Maria Gospodinova, Iskren Krastev, and MP-STUDIO – pioneers in the field of light art in Europe.

The Bulgarian head of State congratulated the Japanese side on the professional organization of the event and for bringing together delegates from around the world dedicated to tackling humanity's greatest challenges.

Rumen Radev also highlighted Bulgaria's achievements in the fields of artificial intelligence and information technology, noting that the country is among the first in Europe selected to build AI factories with European funding. According to the President, Bulgaria can also successfully cooperate with Japanese companies in this area, with a prime example being the joint efforts already underway between Bulgaria’s unique regional AI institute, INSAIT – which attracts talent from top global academic and business institutions – and Japan’s national research institute RIKEN.

“For Bulgarian entrepreneurs, even space is no longer the final frontier – Bulgarian companies are among the leaders in the production of space food, and one of the fastest-growing space companies, which manufactures and operates nano-satellites, is based in Bulgaria,” President Radev noted, citing the example of the Bulgarian company EnduroSat, which, in just three years, has produced and launched into orbit three times more satellites than all other Balkan countries combined.

“Japanese students studying the Bulgarian language give us confidence that active cooperation and friendship between Bulgaria and Japan will continue into the future,” the President said. During the celebration of Bulgaria Day at the country’s pavilion, Japanese students from three universities – out of a total of six in Japan where Bulgarian is taught – demonstrated their skills in the language. Japan also provides more than 500 scholarships for Bulgarian students and researchers. In December 2024, Osaka hosted the second Bulgarian-language public speaking contest, and in May 2024, the first Bulgarian studies conference in Japan was held at Osaka University.

President Rumen Radev and the Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), Kiril Valchev, presented the April issue of the LIK magazine in Osaka, which includes a Japanese translation.

During the day, President Radev also visited the European Union Pavilion at World Expo in  Osaka , which features technologies, eco-friendly food products, and healthy nutrition made in the EU. The Bulgarian head of State also visited the pavilions of Japan, Singapore, and the Netherlands.