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The Yomiuri Shimbun SkyDrive, Inc.’s flying car is seen on a demo flight at the venue of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo on Wednesday.
By Kazuki Sato and Sayaka Nanbu / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
17:43 JST, April 10, 2025
The 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, which will open on Sunday on the artificial island of Yumenoshima in Osaka, is expected to offer visitors a glimpse of life in the future.
The Expo venue was previewed to the press on Wednesday. A Japanese start-up company conducted a demo flight of a flying vehicle, which is expected to become a means of transportation in the future, while a humanoid robot welcomed visitors at the China Pavilion.
In addition to 27 pavilions of domestic exhibitors, pavilions of 129 countries and regions were shown to the press.
SkyDrive Inc., a start-up company in Aichi Prefecture, conducted a demo flight of a three-seater aircraft at the Expo Vertiport.
The aircraft, which measures about 11 meters long, can be remotely operated and fly up to 15 kilometers on a single charge. In the unmanned demo flight, the aircraft flew at an altitude of about five meters for a total flight time of about four minutes.
“I want as many people as possible to get familiar with the aircraft as a vehicle for the future,” said SkyDrive CEO Tomohiro Fukuzawa.
At the Japan Pavilion, a rock that originated on Mars and was collected by a Japanese Antarctic research expedition in 2000 was on display. The rock, shaped like a rugby ball, is one of the world’s biggest Martian meteorites. Measuring 29 centimeters wide and 17.5 centimeters high, the rock contains a clay mineral that cannot be formed without water, providing a piece of evidence that water once existed on the planet.
The Yomiuri Shimbun A Martian meteorite dubbed the “Mars Rock,” on display at the Japan PavilionThe Yomiuri Shimbun A life-sized Gundam statue stands near a statue of 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo mascot Myaku-Myaku.
Next to the Gundam Next Future Pavilion of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc., themed on the popular Mobile Suit Gundam anime series, stood a life-sized Gundam statue, which is about 17 meters high and in the posture of dropping to one knee.
“We would be pleased if the pavilion will be a chance for children, the next generation, to become interested in and have dreams about new technology and space,” said Bandai Namco President Yuji Asako at the opening ceremony on Wednesday.
The China Pavilion is characterized by its exterior design, which is shaped like strips of bamboo that were traditionally used for writing. An AI-equipped humanoid robot acted as a guide in the pavilion. The robot responded in both Chinese and English to questions about the exhibits and other topics. It also waved and shook hands with visitors.
The highlight at the pavilion will be the world’s first samples brought back from the far side of the moon by the Chang’e 6 spacecraft in June last year. But it was not displayed on Wednesday.
The USA Pavilion is modeled after the inside of a rocket, allowing visitors to see images of a space station and the moon’s surface projected on large screens. It will display a 118-gram moon rock brought back by an astronaut who landed on the moon in 1972.
Subhead: Developing countries showcase individuality
Among foreign participants’ pavilions, known as the “jewels of the EXPO,” are five jointly operated pavilions called Commons, in which developing nations from Africa, Asia, Central and South America and other regions jointly set up exhibition booths. Characteristic exhibitions are their selling point, but preparations are still under way at some booths.
About 60% of the about 158 participating countries and regions will have their exhibits in the Commons, which are called Type C pavilions. Although the space is limited, the Commons will be the place that will embody the Expo’s significance as an opportunity for the entire world to come together, as a senior official of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition put it.
Many of these exhibits are apparently intended to promote the countries’ and regions’ culture, economy and trade.
The central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan reproduced the inside of a portable tent used by nomadic people in a space of about 30 square meters. Zimbabwe in southern Africa set up a space where visitors can have a simulated experience of Victoria Falls, a World Heritage site, using virtual reality goggles.
However, some countries still have no displays in their exhibition space as they have yet to receive the planned items from their home countries.
But officials say it has not been unusual in past expositions for some exhibits not to be ready on opening day. Therefore, it is expected that some countries may be unable to make their exhibits available by Sunday.
