Modernity and indigeneity: Australian self-representation at the Osaka expositions of 1970 and 2025

International Expositions or so-called ‘World’s Fairs’ have for over 150 years served as the most prominent stage in which nations have represented themselves at the world’s largest gatherings. Osaka is unique in having hosted two such events: once in 1970 and again in 2025, providing Australia with two unique platforms to reach millions of Japanese citizens through its presentations in their national pavilion. Over this 55-year period, how Australia has presented itself to a Japanese audience has changed significantly, from the projection of a modern, advanced, surf-loving White Australia in 1970, to a nation that recognizes and learns from 65,000 years of Indigenous culture and knowledge systems. These shifts run alongside the changing dynamic of Australia-Japan relations, moving from economic partnerships to a closer alliance and mutual friendship and the deepening of cross-cultural understandings. This article critically examines how Australia’s self-representation at these two expos has shifted over time and what the form and content of Australia’s country pavilions have offered the Japanese spectator/participant. This study also investigates how these shifts reflect Australia’s increasing desire to position itself in Asia as a reliable partner with Japan, rather than as a Western, colonial outlier nation floating in the Pacific.