[Q&A with Partner Companies #7] What would you like visitors to feel when they see your company’s initiatives for the pavilion?
A large number of companies are taking part in the signature pavilion, Future of Life, each of which endorses the themes of the pavilion and the approaches of Producer ISHIGURO Hiroshi. In this series of articles, we intend to showcase what ideas, visions, and initiatives these companies have come up with in response to the themes of the pavilion and of the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan as a whole.
In this seventh article, we asked the partner companies the following question: What would you like visitors to feel when they see your company’s initiatives for the pavilion?
HASEKO Corporation
We were tasked with building the Future of Life pavilion, and our design is centered on the idea of “water,” which we understand to symbolize the Expo’s overarching theme of “Life.” For example, the exterior features “water membranes,” through which water circulates. As part of the co-creation meetings, we proposed three “Future Co-Creation Products” related to housing as exhibition ideas. We warmly invite you to visit the Future of Live pavilion and experience first-hand what society will be like in 50 years’ time.
KOKUYO Co., Ltd.
At KOKUYO, we focus on learning because we firmly believe it has the power to shape a better future. For our learning brand, Campus, we have developed three products that embody the future of learning. Experience the future of Campus for yourself!
Shionogi & Co., Ltd.
https://www.shionogi.com/jp/ja/
We designed three products based on the concept of “disease in 2075.” Our project members thought hard about “health” and “desire,” and came up with ideas for the lifestyle of the distant future. We put a great deal of energy into designing these products. We hope that visitors will seek them out in the pavilion, and that they will encourage greater consideration about “Life,” which is the overarching theme of the Osaka Expo.
Sysmex Corporation
We envisioned the advancement of healthcare that fulfills both mind and body 50 years into the future. With free-thinking creativity, we proposed three products to enable us to lead richer lives, which will also be on display in the pavilion. We invite visitors to experience our vision of a future where we are free from dissatisfaction with our bodies, relieved of anxieties, cultivate our minds for greater comfort, and actively shape our own lives.
Japan Federation of Kaigo Business Providers Consortium Expo 2025
When thinking about our pavilion display, we discussed the idea of death in 2075. In a more technologically advanced society, how will people age? How will people interact with their families and loved ones in their final days? How will they face up to death? Over the course of our discussions of death—a theme that is normally neglected—we developed a hypothesis. We would like our products to inspire visitors to think about how they wish to live, and how they wish to die.
DENSO CORPORATION
At DENSO, we develop automotive parts that play a crucial role in protecting lives. As such, safety and quality are our top priorities. Looking ahead, we aim not only to safeguard lives but also to create new value that augments and elevates human experiences. Our goal is to push the boundaries of mobility, expanding its possibilities to unprecedented levels. With a bold vision for the future of mobility, we are committed to turning it into reality. Come and explore the groundbreaking ideas that bring this vision to life!
Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.
https://www.hankyu-hanshin.co.jp/en/
The trains and stations of the future will be safer, more secure, and more comfortable. But trains will not merely be a means of transport, nor will stations simply be places to board or alight; rather, we believe that both trains and stations will be more enjoyable, and empower people to spend their time more fruitfully. We want visitors to experience a form of mobility that increases passenger expectations while they travel to their destinations, that amplifies enjoyment after arrival, and spaces that are full of diverse encounters, interactions, and discoveries.
KYOCERA Corporation
Zone 2 of the pavilion will display what life could be like 50 years from now. We will showcase various cutting-edge devices designed to guide visitors into the future. Our goal is to inspire attendees to think more deeply about the possibilities that lie ahead.
HEART-S CO., LTD.
We attended the All-Company Co-Creation Meetings, and worked together with the co-creation partners on their lively initiatives as they seek to give shape to Prof. ISHIGURO’s vision for the pavilion. Our aim is to utilize lighting to make the stories of each zone appear as good as possible, and we have drawn up spatial direction plans and selected optimal materials to this end. We want visitors to immerse themselves in a future society in which humans coexist with androids and robots; we also hope that visitors will see the light display reach its peak at the climax.
Fujikin Incorporated
In November 2024, we participated in the Future Monodzukuri International Expo at INTEX Osaka alongside AVITA, which is headed by Prof. ISHIGURO. Among our exhibits was AVACOM, an avatar-based customer service solution. At the Virtual EXPO, people from all over the world will be able to attend the EXPO via computers and smartphones. We hope they will see this year’s event as a new type of EXPO for a new age—one which transcends the limitations of time and space.
HORIBA, Ltd.
We provide analytical and measurement solutions using unique technologies. You will notice our water quality analyzers scattered throughout the exterior waterscape and an air quality monitor by the pavilion’s entrance. These devices continuously analyze and measure environmental changes around the pavilion, which we transform into our “Shores: Edge of Evolution” light installation. We have also created AR content that lets visitors explore the fascinating relationship between “Analysis and Measurement” and “light”, experiencing this connection in virtual space.
Iwase Cosfa Co., Ltd.
The Future of Life Pavilion will explore how humans might coexist with cutting-edge androids and robots, merge with scientific advancements, and expand the very possibilities of life. In this space, the virtual and real worlds will be seamlessly connected via the internet, offering visitors immersive experiences that inspire deeper reflection on the future they wish to create for themselves.
TOYO BEAUTY CO., LTD.
At the Future of Life pavilion, visitors can see and learn about the magnificent possibilities of the future—a future in which the gap between humans and androids may shrink, in which the possibilities of human life and activity may grow massively, and in which present-day norms may well be upended. Such a future excites us greatly. We very much hope that you will visit the Future of Life pavilion.
OSAKA SEALING PRINTING CO., LTD.
At OSAKA SEALING PRINTING, we have been manufacturing stickers and labels for almost 100 years. Stickers and labels play an important role in communicating and preserving information. We very much hope that the stickers and labels you encounter at the Future of Life pavilion will help preserve your thoughts and feelings for posterity.
SHIONO KORYO KAISHA, LTD.
What is the origin of life? What will the future be like 1000 years from now?
In a world in which humans and technologies merge, and the boundaries between humans and robots are blur, what kind of scent will that world have?
In response to these questions, we have created two fragrances: “ORIGIN” evokes a profound and mystical world that is the origin of life, and “FUTURE” embodies a society in which the distinctions between humans and robots have become obscure.
Please experience them at the pavilion!
SOHGO SECURITY SERVICES CO., LTD. (ALSOK)
In the Future of Life pavilion, visitors will largely be attended to by robots, androids, and avatars; ALSOK, too, will have its own avatar at the pavilion entrance. Present-day society is facing a shortage of human resources, and we hope visitors experience what non-human customer service solutions of the near future might look like.
Nishogakusha University
https://www.nishogakusha-u.ac.jp/
Nishogakusha University will exhibit its Soseki Android at the Future of Life pavilion. Modeled after the literary giant NATSUME Soseki, who is an alumnus of our university, Soseki Android represents a fusion of the sciences and the humanities. What impact will scientific technologies have on education? We hope that visitors to the pavilion will look at Soseki Android, and think about how future generations might learn.
