Messages from Top Management of the 15 Sumitomo Pavilion Sponsor Companies

As a member of Sumitomo Group, we are delighted to be participating in the Expo, which will once again be held at the heart of a region closely associated with Sumitomo. Deployment of our all-in-one “stera terminal” payment terminals means the venue will be completely cashless, so people from every walk of life can experience the convenience of cashless transactions and the Expo will be a catalyst accelerating cashless initiatives in Japan.

We offer a wide range of cashless solutions for both consumers and businesses. Amid technological innovation and digitalization, the cashless payment market will continue to expand in diverse ways, with mobile applications to the fore. By providing safe, secure, and convenient digital services as social infrastructure, we will support consumers in their daily lives and help resolve social issues facing Japan while creating a sound cashless society.

The Expo will be a cornucopia of cutting-edge technology and wisdom from around the world, and so I am eager to encounter, experience and be stimulated by worldviews beyond my imagination at the pavilions. I also hope every Expo visitor, especially the children and young people who will take Japan into the future, will have hopes and dreams of the future society, and be inspired to take on new challenges toward the realization of a sustainable, affluent society on planet Earth.

The Expo to be held in Osaka, Kansai, the region from where present-day global Sumitomo emerged, is a national project of great significance in view of the increasingly complex global issues confronting all of us. By gathering a critical mass of new ideas and technologies at a single location, we have an opportunity to spur progress in resolving common issues and help create a brighter future. We would like the Expo to be an invaluable forum for considering what we should do with an eye to the future and how best to apply new ideas and technologies for the benefit of humankind in light of Sumitomo’s business philosophy.

As a developer of construction machinery, we have long been a global source of products with low environmental impacts. Leveraging our technological prowess, we are promoting development from new perspectives, emphasizing the electrification and autonomy of products, while further reducing environmental impacts through improved efficiency in the production process. We will contribute to a sustainable future society by offering products that are safe and easy to use for people working at construction sites and by cultivating an attractive, high-performance working environment for those who manufacture the products.

At Expo 1970 Osaka, many people gazed in awe at the soaring Tower of the Sun, imagined voyaging through space when they saw the moon rock on display, and were excited by the new technologies and cultures to which they were exposed for the first time at the pavilions. Above all, a resoundingly successful Expo will be an unforgettable opportunity for children to be fascinated as they reach out to the future, refreshed by new hopes and new ideas inspired by the Expo.

The experience of the Expo will help us grasp the multifaceted challenge of co-creating a brighter future with ‘life’ as the starting point in collaboration with people across the world. Sumitomo Seika Group creates value by solving issues facing the earth and people’s lives thorough business activities . At the Expo, we want to offer as many visitors as possible insights into our latest initiatives.

Sumitomo Seika Group is committed to tackling the challenges embodied in the SDGs, a set of shared global goals, in pursuit of a sustainable society meeting the expectations of all stakeholders. For example, regarding absorbent polymers used in disposable diapers, we are developing products that use material resources more sparingly and applying recycling technologies to help resolve environmental issues. In other business fields, the products and technologies we are developing will benefit everyone by cutting greenhouse gas emissions as the world advances toward carbon neutrality.

I can’t wait to see the symbol of the Expo, the Grand Roof (Ring), which will be one of the largest wooden structures in the world. Great architecture has the power to captivate, unshackling the imagination and encouraging us to conceive of transformative new ideas. All that timber transformed into an immense architectural marvel is sure to get me thinking about the Group’s SDG initiatives and what we can do to further the great cause of decarbonization.

The overarching theme of the Expo is "Designing a Future Society that Brightens Life." We believe a venue where people from every nation and walk of life, inspired by the wonders of technology and the power of ideas, will seek to orient the world toward a future suffused with humane values. For us, as a manufacturer, the Expo is an opportunity to rethink how we can maximize our contribution to a sustainable future through technology and manufacturing.
In addition to regional promotion of the Kansai region where we are based, we would like to hope the Expo increase the tempo of the entire Japanese economy.

With products aimed at the aerospace, industrial equipment, and ICT business , Sumitomo Precision Products Group has achieved growth based on differentiated technology and manufacturing expertise. In the future, we will continue to grow while pursuing and developing precision technology and precision manufacturing, “precision” is the hallmark of everything we do. We are capitalizing on this attribute in pursuit of a sustainable future in which people will enjoy all the benefits of a decarbonized society. It will be a smart society sustained by smart manufacturing and energy supply where people will enjoy safety and security.

At the time of the last Expo in Osaka, I was a youngster at elementary school. I recall being impressed by the moving pedestrian walkways that are commonplace nowadays. I would like to recapture the curiosity and fascination that swept me off my feet as a child, experiencing again what it is like to be stimulated and energized by game-changing technology full of promise for the future. So for me the Expo is a change to rekindle my inner child, full of excitement and dreaming big dreams.

We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in Expo 2025, which will be the second Expo to be held in Osaka, the city where Sumitomo Group developed and the home of Sumitomo Densetsu’s head office. This iconic event can only add to the vibrancy of Osaka and Japan as a whole. Expo 2025 will be the intersection of the latest technologies capable of creating new value, such as through the accomplishment of the SDGs and progress toward carbon neutrality, with Sumitomo’s Business Philosophy, which has endured and proved its worth for 400 years. At Expo 2025, people will be able to gain a deeper understanding of new technologies and new values within the framework of Sumitomo’s time-tested philosophy.

As a comprehensive engineering enterprise, Sumitomo Densetsu Group contributes to society through businesses that build social infrastructure. We are accelerating our initiatives as we embrace new challenges in pursuit of lower environmental impacts, more effective environmental protection, such as through progress toward carbon neutrality, including “energy creation, energy storage, and energy conservation.” We will contribute to “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” aiming to “become a comprehensive engineering enterprise that truly meets the needs of society through the growth of people and technology.”

At the time of Expo 1970 Osaka, I was at junior high school in the Kansai region, and I was fortunate in being able to visit the Expo several times, with my parents and also on school excursions. Avoiding the queues at the pavilions of leading countries, I concentrated on visiting the pavilions of countries I had scarcely heard of previously, competed with my friends to collect the most stamps, and developed a strong interest in exotic faraway lands. I felt I was on the brink of a new era full of automatic ticket gates, moving sidewalks and a host of other innovations that I encountered for the first time, not only at the Expo but also on the way there. I expect to experience anew that sensation of being present at the dawn of a new era, as the waves of innovation spread outward from Expo 2025 to the world at large.

One of our management principles and core values, “Connect with the Best,” expresses our determination to work together to achieve sustainable development in society by valuing every connection and enhancing trust in a spirit of partnership. This coincides with the concept of Expo 2025, which is a rare opportunity to compose people, wisdom, technology and a world of diverse ideas into a symphony of innovation in pursuit of sustainable growth. May this call to action ring out loud and clear from Osaka, Kansai, the birthplace of Sumitomo, to the world.

Sumitomo Wiring Systems supplies wiring harnesses to customers worldwide, which connect all kinds of signals and information to in-vehicle equipment and external infrastructure, while also monitoring and controlling the electric power that drives the car. Today, the automotive industry is in the midst of a once-in-a-century paradigm shift, centering on electrification, high-speed communications, and connectivity. By deepening and developing the unique technologies we have cultivated since our founding, we intend to contribute to the realization of a society in which everyone benefits from safe, comfortable, convenient, environmentally friendly mobility.

As a youngster in junior high school visiting Expo 1970 Osaka, I was fascinated by the pavilions of countries and companies from around the world, which kindled my imagination and fascination with intriguing cultures and new technologies. Sumitomo Wiring Systems is doing business in about one-third of the countries that plan to have pavilions at Expo 2025, and I have had the good fortune to spend time in those countries. I am eager to visit the pavilions and deepen my understanding of each country and region. Though many years have gone by and the experience is sure to be different from what I felt as a child, I am sure it will be just as life-affirming and memorable.

To regain the vitality in the society, which is experiencing a declining population, it is essential to expand the potential of each individual and to connect individuals for creating communities in both real world and virtual world.
I expect Sumitomo Pavilion and other venues at the Expo will not only be places where visitors passively observe various initiatives to create future society, but also become places where visitors can actively experience and contemplate these initiatives. Additionally, I hope they provide significant tips for individuals to acquire the power to enrich their own lives, to solve social issues, and to create communities that make society prosperous.

We, JRI, are striving to create social value that will serve as the foundation for the future society by providing the functions in dialogue with society; ‘Research’ to indicate the direction for the economy and society, ‘Incubation’ to create new industries that are demanded by the next generations, ‘Consulting’ to contribute for sustainable growth of organizations, and ‘IT Solution’ to promote innovation for financial systems.
Furthermore, we have named the vibrant society created through individuals who live proactively and autonomously relish freedom, delight in working together with others, nature and technology as ‘Autonomous Co-existence Society’, and we are making efforts to actualize the society.

I believe the reason why we humans have achieved far more significant evolution than other species is largely due to the development of science and technology, and the power of advanced communication. The Expo, where the world’s most advanced technologies, diverse cultures and values converge, offers a unique opportunity for individuals to evolve dramatically. I would like to visit as many venues as possible, enjoying various experiences that will contribute to evolving myself.

“Contributing to the sustainable development of local communities” is a key issue for SMFL Group’s SDGs management. So it is fitting that SMFL MIRAI Partners , a strategic subsidiary of SMFL, and its partner companies will be operating the heat supply facilities at the Expo2025 site, thus providing vital infrastructure supporting various events. In pursuit of sustainable socially beneficial growth, we intend to spur creation of social value by applying throughout our business everything we learn from the inspirational Expo experience.

Our principal business of leasing has a high affinity with the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle), not least through utilization of items whose lease terms have expired and of legacy machinery and equipment. In pursuit of sustainability long before the SDGs were advocated, we have been contributing to the recycling economy. Given widespread recognition of the need to shift to a recycling-oriented society, leasing companies are a focus of mounting expectations. In addition to our existing initiatives, by utilizing our knowledge and know-how of facilities and equipment in collaboration with partner companies, we are keen to pioneer “Earth-Friendly Leasing” as a platform provider for the emerging circular economy.

Expos have long been opportunities to gather the world’s wisdom and cutting-edge technologies in a bid to resolve the issues confronting humanity, as well as catalysts for the takeoff of new industries. As a native of Osaka, I have vivid memories of Expo 1970 Osaka. Now, I am keenly anticipating an immersive experience at Expo 2025, which promises to be a “showcase of future society.” The Expo will be a beacon of hope, a venue where the world’s ideas and wisdom can fuel innovation for the future of people everywhere.