Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, officially discharged the Papua New Guinea (PNG) team to the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan which will be held from April 13 to October 13, 2025. The Commissioner General of Section PNG, Ambassador Gabriel Dusava and his core team will depart in the coming weeks. Officers from key agencies such as the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) will also join them. “These teams will work tirelessly and with desperate hopes to ensure PNG’s successful participation throughout the six-month duration of the Expo. The Expo Team in Osaka will operate under clear policy goals and objectives set out by respective government agencies and stakeholders. Their work will focus on ensuring PNG’s maximum visibility and impact on a global scale,” said Minister Maru. Minister Maru said for the past eight months, the Expo Secretariat has done everything possible to prepare the country for this participation. “The next phase is now in the hands of our key stakeholders—the private sector, Government Departments, and provincial administrations—who must continue to prepare themselves and work closely with the Section PNG Desk Officer at the National Trade Office to facilitate their involvement in Expo-related conferences and business events,” he said. Minister Maru announced that three provinces- Central Province, Western Highlands Province and East New Britain Province will participate, both at the Osaka Expo and at the PNG-Japan Trade and Investment Conference that will be held in Tokyo in July. “Additionally, I am actively pursuing to secure funds from State-Owned Entities (SOEs) such as the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and others to subsidize K15 million to Air Niugini to recommence the direct flight between Port Moresby and Narita during this Expo year to ease the movement of our SOEs, companies, businesses, SMEs and people to attend and participate in the Expo and also at the Commercial Facility and the PNG-Japan Trade and Investment Conference in Tokyo,” said the minister. Maru wants to see PNG tuna and coffee and other products establish coordinating centers or business importers and make them become PNG products distribution centers throughout Japan. "By the same token, I am speaking to the Department of Civil Aviation and Transport and NFA to transform the old terminal at Nadzab to become a major storage for fish to be exported to the Sashimi market of Japan via Lae-Port Moresby-Narita. PNG’s presence at this Expo is not just about participation; it is about making our mark on the global stage and to market our country as an attractive tourism and investment destination, and pronounce the endless opportunities in business, pleasure and human engagement and collaboration for research, studies and other aspects,” said Minister Maru. Minister Maru will be travelling to Japan before the end of this month to hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Minister. “We want to propose to Japan that we want to anchor our trade and investment relationship through an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between PNG and Japan formulated along the lines of the European Union (EU)-PNG EPA." This is critical to secure PNG's future market in Japan for marine and fisheries resources, PNG coffee and other products including LNG. "I will also call on the private sector during my visit to secure local sponsorship for our Commercial Facility and the venue for our PNG-Japan Trade and Investment Conference in Tokyo, which will be officially opened by the Prime Minister in July during his official visit for the PNG National Day. We are going all out to reaffirm our long and enduring relationship with Japan and to further straighten and deepen it on the back of trade and investment apart from the diplomatic relationship that we have been enjoying for the last 50 years,” added Minister Maru.