Messages from Top Management of the 15 Sumitomo Pavilion Sponsor Companies

* The company name and affiliations and titles of the persons in the article are correct as of the time of publication.

* The company name and affiliations and titles of the persons in the article are correct as of the time of publication.

An opportunity for children and young people who will be responsible for Japan’s future to embrace hopes and dreams for the future society and be inspired to take on new challenges toward realization of a sustainable society

photo : Yukihiko Onishi
President
Sumitomo Mitsui Card
Yukihiko Onishi
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

Make the Expo a unique opportunity to consider, in light of Sumitomo’s business philosophy, how best to apply new ideas and technologies for the benefit of humankind

photo : Isamu Mitsuhashi
President and CEO
Sumitomo Construction Machinery
Isamu Mitsuhashi
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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 Grand Roof, an immense wooden structure, will prompt thoughts of the SDGs and our decarbonized future

photo : Ikuzo Ogawa
Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Sumitomo Seika Chemicals
Ikuzo Ogawa
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

Rethinking how we can help shape a sustainable future
for everyone through technology and manufacturing

photo : Hideaki Takahashi
Representative Director and President
Sumitomo Precision Products
Hideaki Takahashi
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

Golden opportunity to deepen understanding of new values, latest technology, and Sumitomo’s Business Philosophy

photo : Makoto Tani
President and Representative Director
Sumitomo Densetsu
Makoto Tani
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.”

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

Composing people, wisdom, technology and a world
of diverse ideas into a symphony of innovation in pursuit
of sustainable growth

photo : Kenichi Urushibata
Representative Director, President
and Chief Executive Officer
Sumitomo Wiring Systems
Kenichi Urushibata
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

As tips to acquire the power to enrich each life
and create community for prosperous society

photo : Katsunori Tanizaki
Representative Director, President and CEO
Japan Research Institute
Katsunori Tanizaki
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

Spurring creation of social value by applying throughout
our business everything we learn
from the inspirational Expo experience

photo : Masaki Tachibana
President
Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing
Masaki Tachibana
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

“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.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

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.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

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.

An opportunity to enhance the presence
of Japanese companies in the global marketplace

photo : Shuji Yoshioka
President & CEO
SMBC Nikko Securities
Shuji Yoshioka
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

We see the Expo as an extraordinary encounter with exciting new technologies and ideas geared to the needs and aspirations of the next generation and for SMBC Nikko Securities to step forward as a full-line broker eager to help achieve a sustainable and prosperous future. It is also an opportunity for Japanese companies to enhance their presence in the global marketplace by showcasing their advanced technological capabilities and superior services to the world.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

As a full-line broker, we connect companies pursuing sustainable growth with investors in search of opportunities. For our issuer clients, we offer support for their business and financial strategies, helping them implement sustainability management based on their respective corporate philosophies. Investment is increasingly under the spotlight and we offer our investment clients sophisticated asset management consulting services that enrich lives and benefit communities.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

The first family trip of which I have vivid memories was to Expo 1970 Osaka. The revolutionary pavilions of leading Japanese companies and the Tower of the Sun, the symbol of the Expo, left an indelible impression on me. I also had a chance to encounter people from other countries and, in retrospect, I feel it was a revelation, making me aware of our richly diverse world. For the many visitors from overseas, I hope Expo 2025 will be a vivid encounter with Japan’s innovative technology and culture, inspiring their great hopes for the future.

Enthusiastically embracing the Expo theme
—“Designing Future Society for Our Lives”—
through IT

photo : Takaaki Touma
Representative Director, President
SCSK Corporation
Takaaki Touma
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

SCSK Group has been providing the full line-up of IT services necessary for business for over fifty years. Inspired by our corporate philosophy, “Create Our Future of Dreams,” we are promoting sustainability management as a key element of the Group’s growth strategy, focusing on “Innovating for a brighter society,” “Building trust for a safe and secure society,” and “Creating an inclusive society.” The Expo will help us identify new fields where the Group can contribute to resolving social issues.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

While engaging in co-creation with our customers and partners with a focus on the major changes digital technology is bringing to industry and society, we create greater affluence and comfort by turning technology into innovation to address social challenges and create social value. For the “realization of carbon-free societies,” we are offering services that promote the decarbonization of society, specifically visualization solutions aimed at achieving net zero energy consumption in buildings and platforms for the diffusion of renewable energy. As these initiatives indicate, we are enthusiastically embracing the Expo theme—“Designing Future Society for Our Lives”—through IT.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

The Expo will be a venue where different cultures, visions, ideas, and technologies intersect. Together with people from all over the world, I am eager to gain new knowledge and insights, which I believe will lead to further evolution of SCSK Group. Born and raised in the Kansai region, I keenly anticipate the Expo’s resounding success and am looking forward to a memorable, immersive, richly diverse experience at this wonderful event.

As an opportunity to create new value,
we want to experience new technologies and learn
about the attractiveness of countries
and companies around the world

photo : Kazushi Shimizu
Representative Director and
President & CEO
Sumitomo Riko
Kazushi Shimizu
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

The Expo will preview the future society, giving us a taste, for example, of next-generation mobility such as advanced air mobility or electric buses. In the current era of accelerating social and technological innovation, the knowledge gained through the Expo experience will be of great benefit to Sumitomo Riko’s business. We intend to make the most of this opportunity to turbocharge our initiatives aimed at resolving social issues and fueling growth.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

The “2029 Sumitomo Riko Group Vision” expresses our desire to help achieve a “Green and Pleasant Society Connecting the Nature, City and People.” As values continue to diversify, Sumitomo Riko is committed to developing products that support everyone’s safety and security, aiming to realize a greener world through decarbonization, recycling, and new energy. Pursuing these initiatives, we aim to contribute to the Expo’s theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” and realize a sustainability and harmonious society.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

I grew up in Osaka and was at elementary school when the city hosted the Expo back in 1970. I visited the Expo several times on school events and with my family, touring many pavilions and experienced different cultures. It was a wonderful experience, a chance to step into the big wide world. I am looking forward to seeing how the Expo 2025 will change in comparison to the Expo at that time and how we will be able to experience new things. I also want this to be an opportunity for Sumitomo Riko to create new value for a sustainable society learning extraordinary technologies and attractions from countries and companies around the world.

Source of knowledge leading to new business
opportunities through exchanges
with leading companies and institutions worldwide

photo : Yoshihiro Matsushita
President
Nissin Electric
Yoshihiro Matsushita
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

We are delighted to be participating in the Expo, which will be held at the heart of the region from which Sumitomo Group emerged. As articulated by one element of Nissin Electric’s business mindset, “Open-mindedness and the ability to digest different cultures and technologies (the spirit to accept different things and eventually internalize them),” it is our earnest desire to gain knowledge that will lead to new business opportunities through exchanges with companies and institutions worldwide. At the Expo, everyone will have a chance to pool ideas and insights on how to take a big step forward toward an aspirational future where sustainability will be society’s hallmark.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

Nissin Electric Group is contributing to the creation of a sustainable society equipped with indispensable industrial infrastructure by offering high-quality technologically innovative products and services that meet the needs of customers and society, mainly in the field of power supply and energy systems. Our Smart Power Supply Systems (SPSS) are comprehensive solutions that help resolve some of the big issues confronting society by securing stable power supplies while saving energy, cutting costs, and curbing CO2 emissions, thus furthering the cause of sustainability.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

I have very high expectations of the coming Expo. I am excited because I want to be where diverse cultures and technologies come together to create a vision of the future. This encounter with great ideas, experiences and people is bound to be stimulating. People from every demographic and walk of life, whether children or adults, are sure to be thrilled and inspired to aim high in life for the good of all. I am eager to experience the Expo!

Discover the seeds of innovation
and achieve growth through co-creation

photo : Akio Inoue
Representative Director
President and Executive Officer
Meidensha
Akio Inoue
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

The Expo is a Good opportunity for us to accelerate achievement of our corporate mission—“Illuminating a more affluent tomorrow.” By leveraging our strengths in renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, green mobility, and smart industry, we are committed to enriching the world through the power of electricity. I hope the Expo will help all of us, including companies and other organizations, advance toward a future society where people can enjoy sustainable lifestyles enriched by harnessing the power of co-creation inherent in Meidensha’s products and services.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

Our ultimate goal is “a resilient society where humans live in harmony with nature.” Examples of our initiatives focused on this goal include development of technologies for renewable energy, provision of cloud computing services for water suppliers and sewage treatment operators, and expansion of field engineering services that contribute to energy conservation and GHG emissions reduction. Through these initiatives, we will play our part in designing future society for our lives, the Expo’s theme.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

The Expo, is a place where the world’s wisdom, including pioneering technologies to address global issues, will come together. We will be endeavoring to discover the seeds of innovation through fruitful interaction with exhibitors and visitors, leading to further growth of Meidensha Group through co-creation. The Expo is designed to kindle hopes and dreams for the future in the hearts and minds of all the visitors. This applies especially to the youngsters whose actions and aspirations will eventually shape the future. Our fondest hope is that the Expo experience will encourage the next generation to share their abundant talents with the world.

Inspire the young people and children
who will shape our future,
filling them with wonder, hope, and dreams

photo : Kei Sato
Representative Director, President & CEO
SMAS (Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service)
Kei Sato
Q1.

The Expo is a great opportunity. What does it mean for society?

As a company involved in the automobile industry, SMAS aim to be a “Mobility Platformer for a Sustainable Society.” While focused on fleet decarbonization and electrification, we are also doing our utmost to resolve social issues through enhancement of mobility services. Held in Osaka, a city that has played such a prominent role in the history of Sumitomo, the Expo will gather intelligence and insights from around the world. What is a sustainable society? What can we do to resolve pressing social issues? How can we achieve a prosperous future? I hope that this Expo as an opportunity for people to think deeply.

Q2.

How does your company’s business fit the Expo theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”?

Drawing on our many years of experience in car leasing, we are now promoting the transition to electric vehicles, which are certain to be a key element of the emerging sustainable society. We are also pursuing initiatives for a circular economy, such as battery recycling, as well as initiatives to ensure driver safety and security. Furthermore, mindful of issues such as labor shortages in Japan, we are offering diverse mobility and transportation management solutions through our MaaS app and business process outsourcing (BPO) services to realize a prosperous future.

Q3.

What are you looking forward to and what do you see as the benefits of the Expo?

The memories of Expo 1970 in Osaka remain vivid in my mind. I have similarly high expectations of the coming Expo. As an opportunity to chart a course to the future, the Expo will have some surprises, showing us that there is a way forward. I also hope that, as we experienced in the past, this Expo will inspire the young people and children who will shape our future, filling them with wonder, hope, and dreams.

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