From 2025-07-14 14:00 to 2025-07-15 16:00
Venue: Italian Pavillion
As part of the Tuscany Region Week at EXPO 2025 Osaka, Lucca Comics & Games, one of the world’s leading pop culture festivals focused on comics and games, with over 750,000 annual attendees, shares its vision through a program that blends tradition and innovation, cultural industry and historical heritage.
Organized by Lucca Crea, a company wholly owned by the Municipality of Lucca, the festival has been for over sixty years a model of cultural and social development, capable of creating value for the city and projecting Italian creativity onto the international stage.
At EXPO 2025 Osaka, Lucca Comics & Games offers a glimpse into the future of contemporary mythologies. A story that starts in Tuscany and speaks to the world in a universal language of storytelling, creativity, and sharing. Perfectly aligned with the values of the week “Tuscany, Never-ending Renaissance”, Lucca Comics also celebrates cultural evolution as a timeless journey, capable of turning every vision into reality.
Scheduled Events:
July 14 | 14:40 – 15:10 | Multipurpose Room (Auditorium)
Go Nagai meets Dante
A special meeting between the President of the Tuscany Region, Eugenio Giani, and the master of Japanese animation Go Nagai, exploring the influence of Dante Alighieri on his work. The conversation will conclude with the awarding of the Pegaso Prize for Culture to the sensei.
July 14 | 15:20 – 15:50 | Multipurpose Room (Auditorium)
The Birth of the International Comics Museum of Lucca
A world preview of the National Comics Museum of Lucca project, an initiative involving the Ministry of Culture, the Tuscany Region, the City of Lucca, and Lucca Crea. In this multimedia conference, the Osaka audience will discover the vision and content behind the creation of this new international cultural hub.
July 15 | 10:30 – 12:00 | Multipurpose Room (Auditorium)
Lucca Comics & Games – The European Gateway to the Land of the Rising Sun
A jewel of the Tuscan Renaissance that becomes, for five days a year, Italy’s capital of creative industries. Lucca has become a point of reference for major Japanese cultural entities, who see the festival as a privileged meeting space with European communities. In this special event, director Emanuele Vietina will converse with some of the most influential voices in Japan’s cultural industry, unveiling the secrets that made Lucca Comics & Games a living bridge between Italy and Japan.
July 15 | 14:30 – 15:30 | Multipurpose Room (Auditorium)
Yoshitaka Amano. The Butterfly Effect
A conversation with Yoshitaka Amano, Ambassador of the Italy Pavilion and an iconic figure of contemporary visual culture. An illustrator, character designer, and cross-media artist, Amano has shaped collective imagination with works ranging from Japanese animation to video games (including Final Fantasy), from international comics (The Sandman) to fashion publishing. A unique dialogue on the evocative power of imagery and its global impact.
