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.