On November 15, Ambassador Dr. Andreas Baum and a delegation from the Swiss Embassy visited Osaka where they had the pleasure to greet Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Mayor Ichiro Matsui for a courtesy call in presence of the media.

It was the first time for Ambassador Baum to meet with Governor Yoshimura and Mayor Matsui to whom he introduced Consul Dr. Felix Moesner of the newly established Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka. Offering an additional location to Swissnex (the Swiss network for education, research and innovation), the Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka will have a strong focus on science, academic cooperation and technology. Ambassador Baum and Dr. Moesner thanked their hosts for their hospitality in welcoming the Consulate.

Highlighting the impressive dynamism of the Kansai region, Ambassador Baum also pointed to the importance of the EXPO 2025 and its theme of “Designing future society for our lives” to explain the choice of Osaka for a new Consulate of Switzerland. The importance of fostering entrepreneurship and encouraging startups was highlighted by all parties, with Dr. Moesner expressing his interest to learn more about the Osaka Startup Ecosystem.

Governor Yoshimura and Mayor Matsui expressed their gratitude for Switzerland having already confirmed its participation to EXPO 2025. Underlining the many challenges and opportunities shared by Switzerland and the Kansai region, for instance in the fields of sustainability, health, life science and digitalization, Ambassador Baum mentioned co-creation as a way to address these challenges and imagine new, cutting-edge solutions with EXPO as a showcasing platform. The Consulate of Switzerland in Osaka, under the leadership of Dr. Moesner, will be strongly involved in this process alongside the Embassy.

Before exchanging gifts, Governor Yoshimura, Mayor Matsui, Ambassador Baum and Consul Moesner all expressed their commitment to further developing relations and strengthening cooperation in our many sectors of common interest.