Japan has opened its pavilion in the World Exposition in Osaka, less than two weeks before the global event begins, with the first-ever public exhibit of a “Mars rock” discovered in Antarctica by a Japanese research team.
The Japan Pavilion showcases three areas based on “circulation,” a concept referring to reusing and recycling for a sustainable society. It also features biogas power generation using food waste from the expo site and underlines the role of microorganisms in meeting energy needs.
The opening ceremony for the Japan Pavilion is held at the site of the 2025 World Exposition on an artificial island in Osaka on March 29, 2025, ahead of the expo’s start on April 13. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
The pavilion is structured with wooden planks standing in a circle and embodies the idea of the “cycle of life.” After the expo ends, the wooden planks can be dismantled or repurposed.
A highlight of the expo, which will run from April 13 to Oct. 13, the rock was found in 2000 by Japan’s National Institute of Polar Research.
Later determined to be a meteorite from Mars, it is among the largest meteors originating from that planet on Earth, and includes minerals that can only form in the presence of water.
In the ceremony last weekend marking the opening of the Japan Pavilion, Oki Sato, the pavilion’s general producer, said the structure was built with an eye to encouraging people to experience the exhibit firsthand.
Photo taken at the National Institute of Polar Research in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, on Sept. 17, 2024, shows a meteorite from Mars discovered in Antarctica. The government said the same day the rock will be displayed to the public for the first time at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Photo taken on Jan. 26, 2025, shows a facility to cultivate microscopic algae installed inside the Japan Pavilion for the 2025 World Exposition on an artificial island in Osaka, unveiled to the media the same day ahead of the event’s start in April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Photo taken on Jan. 26, 2025, shows a corner where Hello Kitty appear dressed as different types of algae to introduce infinite potential for algae to visitors inside the Japan Pavilion for the 2025 World Exposition on an artificial island in Osaka, unveiled to the media the same day ahead of the event’s start in April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
Photo taken on Jan. 26, 2025, shows the Japan Pavilion for the 2025 World Exposition on an artificial island in Osaka, unveiled to the media the same day ahead of the event’s start in April. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo
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