Second Round of Publication of Displays

Doraemon to Appear in the Japanese Government Pavilion! Explaining Japan’s Unique Concept of “Circularity-Oriented Craftsmanship” in a Fun Way

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will exhibit the Japanese Government Pavilion (or “Japan Pavilion” in short) on the theme of “Between Lives.” The first round of exhibits featured the Farm Area centered on algae and introduced the infinite possibilities of algae through the adorable Hello Kitty under the theme of “From water to materials.”

The second round of exhibits will shift the focus to “From materials to products” with the launch of the Factory Area centered on Japanese craftsmanship. This area showcases the concept of “circularity-oriented craftsmanship” unique to Japan, which involves making products that can be used for long periods of time through repeated maintenance and repairs without wasting resources, as well as its concrete implementation in society. Doraemon, an iconic character in Japan, will guide visitors by explaining the spirit of sustainable craftsmanship that is being passed on to the next generation in a manner that is easy to understand.

Doraemon Will Make an Appearance in the Factory Area and Provide Commentary on Various Technical Exhibits That Illustrate Japan’s Unique “Circularity-Oriented Craftsmanship”!

In the Factory Area of the Japan Pavilion, the culture of circularity-oriented craftsmanship that has been cultivated in Japan for more than several centuries until the present day through a strong awareness of the concept of “circulating” resources and materials that is aimed at achieving “soft” structures will be introduced through exhibits featuring various products and technologies.
The display area showcases the unique method of Japan’s “soft-crafting” technique by comparing and contrasting traditional approaches with the use of cutting-edge technologies through nine different perspectives.

For instance, instead of pursuing strong and unbreakable objects, the idea is to intentionally create breakable parts to absorb the impact dealt to the entire object.
The “Nagare-bashi” (Kozuya Bridge), which spans the Kizu River in Kyoto Prefecture, is constructed in a way that allows the bridge girders to float away instead of withstanding the flow of rising waters in the river, thus reducing the overall stress on the structure.

This idea echoes the structure of JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), which successfully made the world’s first precision landing on the Moon in January 2024 by absorbing the impact of the landing through the breaking of its legs, thereby allowing the lander to touch down safely. 

The origin of such “circularity-oriented craftsmanship” can be traced to the Shikinen Sengu tradition of the Ise Jingu Shrine that has been performed for over 1,300 years in Japan. Shikinen Sengu is a ceremony that takes place once in every 20 years to rebuild the shrine’s buildings and treasures used to worship the deities. This ceremony is based on the unique Japanese concept of “tokowaka,” which refers to maintaining permanence by rebuilding something in the same way.

The spirit of “circularity-oriented craftsmanship” in the form of “soft-crafting” has been handed down through the ages and is inextricable from today’s cutting-edge technologies. Doraemon will share this fusion of tradition and innovation with visitors in a manner that is fun and easy to understand.

〈Partner companies/organizations〉

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) / Jingu Administration Office / Kyoto Prefecture / Molten Corporation / Nagase ChemteX Corporation / TOBU TOWER SKYTREE Co., Ltd.; NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD / TOMY Company, Ltd. / Toray Industries, Inc.
*Listed in alphabetical order

Demonstrating Circularity-Oriented Craftsmanship by Combining the Power of Algae and Japanese Technology

The Factory Area will showcase a part of the cycle of circulation through the process of converting “materials” to “products.” Algae, which plays a central role in the Farm Area, will be used as a material in the exhibits of various products such as cosmetics, clothing, and food created from the cycle. These products are created by MATSURI, a Japan-based project that is the first in the world aimed at establishing an algae industry, evoking the prospect of algae products becoming a part of people’s lives in the future. Furthermore, stools will be crafted by two robotic arms with 3D printing technology using bioplastics comprising algae. The finished stools will be set up in various spots within the Japan Pavilion for visitors to take a break.

〈Sponsor companies/organizations〉

Keio University COI-NEXT (Upcycling for coexistence) / Kanazawa University COI-NEXT (Recycling of polysaccharide-based bioplastics) / S.lab Inc. / DigitalArchi Co., Ltd. / Co-Creation Project of HODEN SEIMITSU KAKO KENKYUSHO CO., LTD.
・Representative member: DigitalArchi Co., Ltd.
・Head office of representative member: 1-1-14 Omachi, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa 248-0007
・Representative Director & President of representative member: Yasutomo Matsuoka

MATSURI Project
・Representative member: Chitose Laboratory Corp.
・Main Location: KSP R&D C432, 3-2-1, Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa
・CEO of Chitose Laboratory Corp.     : Tomohiro Fujita