UNDRR highlights Japan’s leadership in disaster risk reduction at World Expo 2025 Osaka

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is featured at the UN Pavilion during the final week of the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, showcasing the message that “Disasters are not natural.”

Located within the Pavilion’s special exhibition area, the UNDRR display invites visitors to explore how societies can prevent hazards from becoming disasters through smarter planning, investment, and risk-informed decisions.

On 6 October, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited the Expo and toured the UN Pavilion, where they were introduced to UNDRR’s exhibition and its key message on resilience and prevention.

To launch the exhibition, UNDRR hosted a public dialogue event on 5 October titled “Let’s Talk About Disaster Risk Reduction (BOSAI): Japan’s Leading Role in the Global Agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction.” The session brought together five speakers representing the Development Bank of Japan, Asahi Broadcasting Group Holdings, and three young professionals from the private sector and academia.

Panelists underscored that disaster risk reduction is everyone’s responsibility, highlighting Japan’s pivotal role over the past three decades in shaping the global DRR agenda in partnership with the United Nations. They called on Japan to continue leveraging its experience and expertise to support international cooperation and innovation in resilience building.

The exhibition also featured the Stop Disasters game—an interactive simulation that lets visitors step into the role of city planners tasked with protecting a coastal town, mountain village, or urban district from hazards such as tsunamis, floods, and earthquakes. Players make real-time decisions about land use, housing, and infrastructure investments to see how proactive measures can save lives and reduce losses. The Japanese version of the game was launched for the exhibition.

For many visitors, the experience was both educational and eye-opening. “I love the game. I think it's great that you can give scenarios in different parts of the world and that there are different levels—and that it's something kids are really interested in because it's like a video game,” said Ms. Chesca Delingon, an urban planner from the Philippines. “What’s great about it is that you learn about the steps that are needed to plan well and to evacuate. As an urban planner, it's really great to see non-urban planners or people who are not working in the built environment learning more about it.”

The World Expo offers a powerful reminder that reducing disaster risk is not only a matter for experts or governments, but a shared responsibility that begins with awareness and everyday choices. By engaging visitors from all walks of life, the UN Pavilion demonstrates that resilience is built when everyone—citizens, communities, businesses, and leaders—takes part in shaping a safer, more sustainable world.