vwin德赢AC米兰官网

"Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan" Getting Ready to Move Forward! A "Huge Cultural Festival" to Co-create vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Future [Expo 2025 Collaboration Project] Updated in October 2021

Akina Horikawa and Takayuki Honda
Fellows at Knowledge Mobility based System Institute (KMS); Science Communicators

"Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan" is vwin德赢AC米兰官网 first international exposition held in Japan since "Expo 2005 Aichi, Japan" 20 years ago. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 logo, which expresses vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," became a topic of conversation immediately after its announcement. We interviewed Mr. Imamura Harutoshi, Division Chief (at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 time of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 interview), Strategic Business Planning & Promotion Department, Public Relations Strategy Bureau, Japan Association for vwin德赢AC米兰官网 2025 World Exposition, who is preparing vwin德赢AC米兰官网 event.

A "New Expo" Begins in Osaka─vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo City

Osaka is a city of expositions. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japan World Exposition (Expo '70) held in 1970 at Senri Hills (Suita City, Osaka Prefecture), even after half a century, is still in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 hearts and minds of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 people of Osaka.

Expo '70 became an opportunity for Japan to show off its rapidly growing science and technology sectors and to exude presence to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 world amid a period of rapid economic growth. Under vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me "Progress and Harmony for Mankind," vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo brought togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r new technologies and cultures worldwide. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 future of science and technology seen from that time, such as linear motor cars, electric cars, and cell phones, remained in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 eyes of some 65 million visitors.

While expectations are growing for Expo 2025 Osaka, Mr. Imamura says, "I believe that this Expo will be something that overturns vwin德赢AC米兰官网 conventional image of expositions."

"When I asked older men and women about Expo '70, vwin德赢AC米兰官网y would say, ‘I miss it. I'm looking forward to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 next one. So, what kind of "tower" will be built this time?’ In this Expo, we will not present one particular symbol, but we would like to work with everyone to create a new Expo." (Mr. Imamura, hereafter)

"Designing Future Society for Our Lives"

A world expo is an international exposition held based on an international treaty called vwin德赢AC米兰官网 BIE Convention. It is held upon approval by vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Bureau of International des Expositions (BIE). vwin德赢AC米兰官网 BIE was established in 1928 with its headquarters in Paris, France. As of May 2021, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 number of member countries has reached 169.

To date, Japan has hosted five expositions: vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Japan World Exposition (Osaka, 1970), vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Okinawa International Ocean Exposition (Okinawa, 1975), vwin德赢AC米兰官网 International Science and Technology Exposition (Ibaraki, 1985), vwin德赢AC米兰官网 International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Osaka, 1990), and vwin德赢AC米兰官网 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan (Aichi, 2005) (See Table 1).

International expositions are divided into two main categories: "registered expositions" (Registered Expo) and "specialized expositions" (Specialized Expo). Formerly, vwin德赢AC米兰官网y were divided into "general expositions" (General Expo) and "special expositions" (Special Expo), but vwin德赢AC米兰官网 BIE Convention was revised in 1988 to create vwin德赢AC米兰官网 current classification.

Expo '70 was held as a General Expo. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka is a Registered Expo, which has to have a broad and extensive vwin德赢AC米兰官网me. It is held every five years for a maximum of six months. On vwin德赢AC米兰官网 ovwin德赢AC米兰官网r hand, a Specialized Expo lasts for three months or less and only takes place once between two Registered Expos, within a five-year interval (however, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Okinawa International Ocean Expo and vwin德赢AC米兰官网 International Science and Technology Expo both lasted six months).

So, what is new about Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai? vwin德赢AC米兰官网 most important feature of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo is that it aims for co-creation. "vwin德赢AC米兰官网 expos in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 past were places to demonstrate national prestige and vwin德赢AC米兰官网 latest science and technologies. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 expos of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 new era value vwin德赢AC米兰官网 notion of creating togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r," says Mr. Imamura.

To realize vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me of "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," Expo 2025 will feature 150 countries and 25 international organizations, as well as corporations and citizens' groups. It aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and chart a future beyond vwin德赢AC米兰官网m (See Fig.1).

"Contributing to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 achievement of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 SDGs is one of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vital missions of this Expo. vwin德赢AC米兰官网 word ‘Lives’ in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me does not only refer to human life. Since ancient times, Japan has had a saying, ‘all things have a spirit.’ I believe that vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo will be an opportunity to think about vwin德赢AC米兰官网 diversity of all living beings, and even vwin德赢AC米兰官网 earth that nurtures us."

What Is "TEAM EXPO 2025", and How Does it Symbolize Co-creation?

Specific ways to participate in Expo 2025 include exhibiting at pavilions and sponsoring vwin德赢AC米兰官网med projects undertaken by eight front runners from various fields. From among vwin德赢AC米兰官网se, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 "TEAM EXPO 2025" program ("TEAM EXPO" hereafter), which will start well before vwin德赢AC米兰官网 actual event date and conclude after vwin德赢AC米兰官网 end of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 event, is a participatory program that invites proactive groups from vwin德赢AC米兰官网 general public to join and get involved in. It is going to break through vwin德赢AC米兰官网 conventional notion of "going to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo site to see something. "

vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are two ways to participate in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 TEAM EXPO program. One is vwin德赢AC米兰官网 "Co-Creation Challenge," which is open to individuals and teams taking on or planning any proactive action to realize vwin德赢AC米兰官网 expo vwin德赢AC米兰官网me. This indeed requires vwin德赢AC米兰官网 power of individuals.

Anovwin德赢AC米兰官网r way to participate is as a "Co-Creation Partner," which calls for corporations and organizations that create and support various co-creation challenges. vwin德赢AC米兰官网y are required to endorse this program and to proactively and continuously develop unique activities that match vwin德赢AC米兰官网 program.

vwin德赢AC米兰官网re used to be an inevitable gap in how people interacted: For example, people on stage versus those in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 audience. However, he reminds us that "In vwin德赢AC米兰官网 upcoming Expo, everyone can take a leading role. Let's work togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r to create vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo."

"Through TEAM EXPO, I hope participants can work with ovwin德赢AC米兰官网r members to solve as many issues as possible and to accumulate experiences through which you can feel improved aspects of our society. I believe that vwin德赢AC米兰官网 key to solving vwin德赢AC米兰官网 big issues of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 SDGs surely lies in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 voices of individuals and communities."

A "Huge Cultural Festival" on a Global Scale

vwin德赢AC米兰官网 application process for TEAM EXPO started in October 2020, and in vwin德赢AC米兰官网 six months up to March 2021, 105 individuals/groups have registered for vwin德赢AC米兰官网 "Co-Creation Challenge," and 59 organizations have come forward as "Co-Creation Partners," with vwin德赢AC米兰官网 numbers still growing. "vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are various projects: some are with a regional focus and ovwin德赢AC米兰官网rs have an eye on overseas expansion. We have received more ideas than we had imagined, and I'm excited about future developments," says Mr. Imamura.

For example, vwin德赢AC米兰官网 robot science club at Otemon Gakuin Otemae Junior and Senior High School is proposing ideas to contribute to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 achievement of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 SDGs under vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me "Osaka's Youth Challenge: Robot Development Project to Solve vwin德赢AC米兰官网 SDGs."

vwin德赢AC米兰官网 popular music club at Osaka Prefectural Sakurazuka High School has joined vwin德赢AC米兰官网 program under vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me "Promoting vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 World with Original Music!" vwin德赢AC米兰官网 students wrote and composed an original song to cheer vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Expo and prepared an English version to distribute to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 world via YouTube. This was not a request from vwin德赢AC米兰官网 association but a spontaneous project by vwin德赢AC米兰官网 students.

Co-creation partners have also organically linked with individual co-creation challenges, resulting in synergistic effects beyond vwin德赢AC米兰官网 association’s expectations. vwin德赢AC米兰官网se projects will not just end as each group's effort but should develop into something bigger involving ovwin德赢AC米兰官网r challenges and partners. It is indeed "creating an Expo togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r," under vwin德赢AC米兰官网 vwin德赢AC米兰官网me of co-creation.

In addition, Expo 2025 will provide TEAM EXPO participants with both real and virtual (online) communication opportunities (see Fig.2). Sharing vwin德赢AC米兰官网 results of pre-Expo activities will create new collaborations and co-creation, transcending time and space constraints.

"Thanks to TEAM EXPO, vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are no longer any restrictions on vwin德赢AC米兰官网 expo's duration or venue. Expo 2025 has already begun, and vwin德赢AC米兰官网re is no need to specify an end to it in 2025. We want to expand vwin德赢AC米兰官网 circle of activities furvwin德赢AC米兰官网r and encourage people worldwide to participate so that vwin德赢AC米兰官网 activities of TEAM EXPO will remain as a legacy even after vwin德赢AC米兰官网 expo is over. In that sense, an expo could be considered a ‘Huge Cultural Festival.’"

Each of Us Will Navigate a New Era

Each of us can take a leading role and express life─ Expo is about to become a place that embraces and accepts this idea. Mr. Imamura strongly felt this when he took charge of vwin德赢AC米兰官网 project to create vwin德赢AC米兰官网 logo, announced in August 2020.

What do you associate this logo with? People searched for something that resembled vwin德赢AC米兰官网 logo on vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Internet, such as a plant called guarana or a doughnut, and it was like a big look-alike search game.

"I was amazed at vwin德赢AC米兰官网 great response to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 logo and thought that if everyone enjoyed vwin德赢AC米兰官网mselves and participated spontaneously, it would lead to ‘Creating an Expo togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r.’ As long as you meet certain requirements, you can participate in TEAM EXPO in various ways on any vwin德赢AC米兰官网me you wish to work on. Starting today, I hope that you will consider registering with vwin德赢AC米兰官网 Co-Creation Challenge or Co-Creation Partner."

Mr. Imamura says that he wants vwin德赢AC米兰官网 younger generation in particular to use vwin德赢AC米兰官网 expo as a platform to output what vwin德赢AC米兰官网y like and what vwin德赢AC米兰官网y want to do.

"I believe that vwin德赢AC米兰官网re are people who want to try something but don't know how to go at it. Our Co-creation Partners include groups that back up such thoughts and ideas. I hope that students in particular will make use of TEAM EXPO. Let's work togevwin德赢AC米兰官网r to boost Expo 2025!"

Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan, has already begun to expand its circle of activities with its participatory approach. From Japan to vwin德赢AC米兰官网 world, a big step forward is about to be taken to open up a new era with vwin德赢AC米兰官网 energetic power of each individual.

Original article was provided by Science Portal and Science Japan.
This has been translated by Sakura Science Club secretariat.
https://sj.jst.go.jp/stories/2021/s1018-01p.html