NAGOYA - The 2005 World Exposition – the first for the new century – will open in Aichi, Japan (EXPO 2005) this Thursday to great pomp and pageantry.
Approximately 15 million visitors are expected to descend on Nagoya Eastern Hills, where the EXPO 2005 is located, 80 percent comprised of Japanese.
One of the largest consumer fairs, the World Expo is held once every five years, and Japan won the bid this year with the theme “Nature’s Wisdom”.
As host, Japan aims to use the World Expo as a platform to highlight the environmental problems faced by earth. This comes at a particularly relevant juncture as world governments contemplate the current environmental flux.
EXPO 2005 will run for 185 days from March 25 till September 25 and the next 2010 World Expo will be held in Shanghai, China.
EXPO 2005 sees the participation of more than 120 countries including Japan. Also participating are international organisations such as the OECD, International Red Cross, the United Nations and 33 of its agencies, including the World Tourism Organisation.
Pavilion space is accorded by modules, and the organiser Japan Association for 2005 World Exposition has allotted 161 modules for the exhibitors.
Germany and France have collaborated their efforts and lay claim to having the largest foreign pavilion, spanning 3,240sqm. This is also the first time these two European giants are working together. The total cost of EXPO 2005 is estimated at 340 billion yen (US$3.2 billion)