Latest news with #KansaiExpo
Yomiuri Shimbun
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Expo Osaka: Digitally Re-Created Hiroshima Artifacts Displayed at Expo; Artists' Sculptures Link Past Tragedy to Vision for Future
Digitally crafted re-creations of items that belonged to victims of the Hiroshima atomic bombing are on display at the 2025 Osaka–Kansai Expo. A pocket watch 30 centimeters wide, 30 centimeters deep and 60 centimeters high, and a fountain pen 20 centimeters wide, 20 centimeters deep and 60 centimeters high, were created by New York–based artist Cannon Hersey, 48, and Tokyo-based artist Akira Fujimoto, 49. Hersey is the grandson of Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Hersey, whose 1946 book 'Hiroshima' revealed the devastation to the and Fujimoto believe that the Expo's vision of the future cannot be separated from the past, and they hope the installation will help keep memories of the bombing alive. Since 2019, the pair have produced artwork using 3-D data from artifacts held by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Pasona Group Inc. proposed a new commission last autumn for its pavilion at the Expo, and Hersey accepted, saying it would be meaningful to exhibit at an event visited by so many people. The artifacts were photographed at high resolution early this year, and 3D data were used in a Toyama Prefecture studio to craft the sculptures. Aluminum casts made from 3D-printed molds were hand-polished to reproduce fine details, and each piece was enlarged for easier pocket watch's hands are frozen at 8:15 a.m. — the moment the bomb was dropped — and its dial is melted inward. The fountain pen, discovered in Noboricho near the hypocenter, has a snapped nib, vividly conveying the force of the blast. Fujimoto chose the pocket watch because 'the atomic bombing can be said to have stopped the flow of time; by seeing the hands fixed at 8:15, people can sense the time that was lost.' Hersey selected the fountain pen as a symbol capable of influencing society. The artists visited the Pasona pavilion for the first time on Tuesday. Hersey remarked that without understanding the past, a better future cannot be created. 'Visitors from all over the world will come to the Expo,' said Yoshifumi Ishida, director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. 'These highly precise works give people a meaningful opportunity to consider and empathize with the damage caused by the atomic bomb.' After the Expo ends in October, the sculptures will be exhibited in Hiroshima City. The Pasona pavilion — whose displays also include life-science innovations such as sheet-shaped cardiac muscle grown from iPS cells — accepts advance reservations, though visitors may also enter by lining up on-site.
Yomiuri Shimbun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Osaka Expo: Akita Pref.'s Omagari Fireworks to be on Display on June 28
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo Pyrotechnic artwork launched during last year's Omagari Fireworks Festival in Daisen, Akita Prefecture. AKITA — Pyrotechnic artworks from the famous Omagari Fireworks Festival in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, will illuminate the night sky over the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo venue on June 28. This will mark the first time that the pyrotechnicians behind one of Japan's three major fireworks festivals will travel to the Kansai region to set off fireworks. 'We want to show people from Japan and abroad the beauty of fireworks,' fireworks specialist Tadanobu Komatsu, 61, said. They will display fireworks as part of the Japan Fireworks Expo, where pyrotechnicians from all over the country will gather to showcase their work at the Kansai Expo. The Omagari Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the organizer of the local fireworks festival, was approached last October about participating in the Expo event. Komatsu and his colleagues readily agreed, calling it 'an honor to shoot off fireworks at the Expo.' Held every August, the Omagari Fireworks Festival attracts 100,000 spectators and involves 28 fireworks companies from Daisen and other regions in Japan. Each display is scored, and the participating companies rotate every five years based on their rankings. Last year, Komatsu Fireworks Co., headed by Komatsu, won the Prime Minister's Prize, the highest honor. 'It's a competition where the best pyrotechnics are brought together, and that's why fireworks at Omagari festival are considered the pinnacle of the art,' Komatsu said. On June 28, the Omagari Hanabi Design Team, comprising of Komatsu Fireworks and three other fireworks companies from Daisen, will shoot off fireworks from the southern embankment of Yumeshima Island in Osaka's Konohana Ward. The team will showcase about 800 fireworks, including the most difficult 'goeshin' firework which consists of six layers of concentric circles spread evenly; 'happosaki,' which shoots light rays in various colors in a circular pattern from the center; and 'senringiku,' which explodes with a countless number of small bursts. Komatsu went to Yumeshima in advance to confirm the launch positions. 'The fireworks of Omagari are still not well known in western Japan. We want to put on a show that will make people want to visit Omagari,' he said. Fireworks at Expo The Japan Fireworks Expo will feature eight fireworks displays during the 2025 Expo. Two displays have been held so far: the Ise Shrine Dedication National Fireworks Display from Mie Prefecture on April 26 and the Futaba Fireworks from Fukushima Prefecture on May 31. The Ise display attracted 104,803 people, and the Futaba display brought a record 169,923, leading the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition to limit the number of spectators allowed to ascend the venue's Grand Roof (Ring) for viewing. The Omagari fireworks display on June 28 is also expected to draw large crowds, so the association will dispatch more security personnel than usual to control the crowds during the event. The June 28 display will be followed by the other famous displays on July 21, Aug. 23, Sep. 27 and Oct. 8, though details have not yet been announced. Fireworks from various regions will be launched jointly on July 23.
Times of Oman
04-06-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Japan: NTT advances digital innovation for future connectivity
Osaka: At the Osaka Kansai Expo, the impressive NTT pavilion showcased IOWN technology, enabling experiences that transcend time delays and distance. Its high speed, large capacity, and energy efficiency make this possible. The Japanese pop group Perfume, who also performed at the 1970 Expo, appears in 3D at the 2025 Expo. Taiga Yoshida, NTT, said, "This device uses lasers to measure 3D shapes and can transmit the resulting 3D point cloud data from a distant location to this site. The goal of this technology is to create experiences that feel as if we are physically present in that remote place. On this screen, the landscape of the distant location is reproduced and can be viewed from multiple angles." An "alternate version of me" from the audience appears on the screen. A photo of the audience member is processed by AI to display either an aged or younger version of themselves. The AI system is located remotely, far from the screen. Between them, IOWN technology provides a fast, high-capacity, and energy-efficient connection. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, Senior Executive Vice President, NTT, said, "The IOWN plan still has surplus capacity available for further development. The ultimate goal is to achieve energy savings of 100th of current levels. Currently, IOWN is steadily progressing toward this final goal. So far, we have focused on three pillars: energy saving, large capacity, and minimal delay. Now, NTT has added a fourth pillar-- "Beyond Digital." While digital technology is very important today, it does not fully cover the entire globe. Only certain understandable parts of the technology are extracted and used by humans. To advance further, it is necessary to go beyond current digital technology. This new fourth pillar will guide research and development over the next five years". IOWN and NTT technologies are continuously advancing, aiming for the next stage of development. It feels like the dawn of a revolution in both industry and social life.
Asahi Shimbun
24-04-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Work starts on casino-based integrated resort in Osaka Bay
The planned site of an integrated resort (IR) facility is near the Osaka Kansai Expo venue at top left. (Toshiyuki Hayashi) OSAKA—Construction of Japan's first integrated resort (IR) facility featuring a casino, an international convention center and hotels started on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, on April 24. The IR on the 49-hectare site is scheduled to open around 2030. Osaka IR, a consortium that includes the Japanese subsidiary of U.S. casino operator MGM Resorts International, Orix Corp. and other investors, is building the resort next to the north side of the Osaka Kansai Expo venue. The initial investment will be about 1.27 trillion yen ($8.89 billion). The planned casino will feature around 470 tables for poker and baccarat, as well as about 6,400 electronic tables for slots and other games. The international convention center will have conference rooms that can accommodate more than 6,000 people. The three hotels will offer a total of around 2,500 rooms. Commercial facilities and a bus terminal will also be built at the site. Ed Bowers, the CEO of MGM Resorts Japan who is also the representative director of Osaka IR, attended the groundbreaking ceremony on April 24. The casino is expected to attract up to 20 million visitors a year and generate around 520 billion yen in sales. Casino operations came into the spotlight in Japan in 1999, when then Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara advocated bringing casinos to the Daiba district of the capital. Casinos were discussed under the second Abe administration as a main feature of its economic policy, and the IR Implementation Law was enacted in July 2018. Nagasaki, Wakayama, Yokohama and other areas have also made moves to invite IRs, but the central government approved only the development plan of Osaka Prefecture and Osaka city in April 2023. Based on the law, a Casino Management Committee was established in January 2020 as an external bureau of the Cabinet Office to examine measures against gambling addiction, money laundering and involvement of organized crime. However, concerns have not disappeared.
Arab News
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Saudi Ambassador to Japan highlights the country's attractions ahead of Osaka Expo
TOKYO: Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Faisal Binzagr attended the Tokyo stop of the 'Meet Saudi Arabia Tour' to promote the Kingdom's pavilion at the Osaka Kansai Expo, which opens on April 13. The tour — held in various parts of Japan — aims to show how Saudi Arabia is not just a distant place, but a relevant and engaging destination for all. Ambassador Binzagr, emphasizing the unique aspects of Saudi Arabia's 'rich culture and a fascinating history,' believes these elements have a special appeal to the people of Japan. 'We have beautiful, exciting things to showcase, but this is just a small glimpse of what we have to show about the past, the present and the future of Saudi Arabia,' Ambassador Binzagr told Arab News Japan. 'There are lots of things that you can touch and feel about our culture, from our heritage, from the emotion of our cities today and our life in the midst of a very exciting transformation that we are undergoing in Saudi Arabia.' The Tour offers visitors a chance to experience various aspects of Saudi culture, including Saudi Arabian coffee and date pairing, a cooking demonstration of traditional sweets, and traditional Saudi music and costumes. 'We're counting down to the last days before our opening in Osaka,' Ambassador Binzagr said about the Expo. 'We're almost completed and ready. I had the privilege of touring the site two days ago, and the final touches are being made now. With glimpses of the future we're heading towards, I am very excited to welcome everyone to Osaka.' One of the main themes of the Saudi Arabian pavilion is the building itself. The pavilion has been described as a 'masterpiece' and is said to embody the flow of Saudi Vision 2030 and the transformation from past to future, sensitivity to the environment, and design elements that blend heritage with technology and vision. 'Looking at it, I see the transformation of Saudi Arabia and what's happening in our vibrant country,' Dr. Binzagr said. 'But our focus is not just on the present, but also on the promising future of Saudi Arabia. We want to inspire people with the potential and relevance of our future. We want people to see a sample of it so that they think not just about joining us in Osaka, but beyond that to visiting our country.' Thematically, it projects an invitation to the world to step inside Saudi Arabia and to experience it. The building itself aims to reflect harmony – melding the desert environment with architectural aspects that both shield people from nature's elements and celebrates those elements at the same time.
