The 2025 Japan International Exposition (Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan: Konohana-ku, Osaka; hereafter referred to as the Expo) opened on April 13.
My family and I immediately went there the other day.
First, I visited the "Sumitomo Pavilion!”
Our company is a sponsor of the “Sumitomo Pavilion” and is exhibiting panels explaining our products that contribute to a sustainable future society.
The “Sumitomo Pavilion” embodies coexistence with nature
The “Sumitomo Pavilion” is designed with an impressive exterior inspired by the mountain range of the Besshi Copper Mine (Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture), where the Sumitomo Group was founded.
Approximately 1,000 cedar trees from the “Sumitomo Forest” planted during the 1970 Osaka Expo are utilized in the pavilion, symbolizing sustainable resource recycling.
Inside the museum, there is an immersive experience zone where visitors enter the “Sumitomo Forest” with lanterns in hand, and they can feel the breath of nature and life on their skin.
In addition, the theater, which makes full use of digital technology, and the performers' stage productions are designed to give visitors a multisensory sense of what a future society will look like. This is why it has generated a great deal of empathy among visitors.
Visitors can also learn about the forest cycle through the tree-planting experience, and since the trees will actually be planted at the Besshi Copper Mine at a later date, it is an opportunity for visitors to change their behavior toward nature conservation.
Expo Philosophy and Co-Creation: Our Role
As a “testing ground for the future society,” Expo 2025 is more than just a technology exhibition; it is a place where people around the world can share their awareness of issues and co-create solutions.
I believe that co-creation through internal and external collaboration is the key to solving social issues and achieving sustainable growth, which is also in line with one of the three directions set forth in the Group's vision “2029V”: "Developing People and Peers who Pioneer the Future.”
Our technology responding to social issues and "Seeds for the Future”
The “Sumitomo Pavilion” exhibits more than 700 cutting-edge technologies and initiatives of Sumitomo Group companies.Our com
pany is exhibiting panels on heat-dissipating soundproofing material (MIF), which contributes to the realization of a carbon-neutral society, and Finesulight, a thin-film high thermal insulation material that supports the improvement of air conditioning efficiency.
These technologies are solutions to the problems of modern society, such as noise and energy consumption, and are symbolic of our efforts to achieve both affluent lifestyles and environmental preservation.
The “Seeds for the Future,” which is a combination of the developers' thoughts on these technologies and future-oriented ideas created by AI, are on display, allowing visitors to create their own original “Seeds for the Future” from their own ideas. ＊2
Creating a Future Society Starting with Expo 2025
Cell phones and moving sidewalks, which we take for granted today, were once “dream products of the future society” presented at the Osaka Expo 1970.
The “Future Human Washing Machine,” an evolution of the “Future Human Washing Machine,” which appeared at the Osaka Expo1970, can also wash your mind and support your health care.
I was moved by the attitude of the engineers involved in the development of the human washing machine at the former Expo, because they never gave up on the challenge for the future.
In addition, an “iPS heart” developed using “iPS cell” technology was displayed in an actual beating condition, offering a glimpse into the possibilities of regenerative medicine.
The “seeds for the future” that we are working on may eventually take root in society and grow into technologies that will be taken for granted in the future.
Through the creation of technologies and products that support the society of the future, our group will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society in which everyone can live with peace of mind.
I believe that each and every one of our employees will continue to take on the challenge of solving problems, which will be the first step toward paving the way for the future.
We also spent a full day visiting overseas pavilions in France, Spain, Indonesia, Germany, Thailand, Turkey, and other countries where our group has bases.
It was a day of overlapping the future of our group and feeling the wisdom of that future society and the world.
I encourage everyone to visit the Expo.
*1 Our HP Topics
https://www.sumitomoriko.co.jp/english/topics/2025/jjs0va0000000jaf-att/n51910786_e.pdf
*2 Sumitomo Pavilion “Seeds for the Future” special WEB site
https://mirainotane.sumitomoexpo.com/en/
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