Completion ceremony held for the Japan Pavilion, EXPO 2010 Shanghai
December 26, 2009
A completion ceremony and press conference were held in Shanghai on December 26, 2009, to mark the completion of construction work on the Japan Pavilion for Expo 2010 Shanghai. Representing Japan at the ceremony were Chiaki Takahashi, Parliamentary Secretary for Economy, Trade, and Industry; Hiroshi Tsukamoto, Commissioner General of the Japanese Section Expo 2010 Shanghai; Yutaka Yokoi, Consul General of Japan in Shanghai; and Yasuo Onishi, Director-General of JETRO, Shanghai Center. Hua Junduo, Chinese Commissioner General for World Expo 2010, was in attendance representing the Chinese side. Representatives from numerous Japanese companies, from the Bureau of Shanghai World EXPO Coordination, and leading Japanese and Chinese media outlets were also present.
The ceremony was held in the Japan Pavilion grounds under the organization of the Japan Pavilion. After welcoming remarks from Parliamentary Secretary Chiaki Takahashi of Japan, Hua Junduo, Chinese Commissioner General for World Expo 2010, spoke on behalf of China. Following the speeches, a ribbon was cut to mark the completion of the pavilion by Parliamentary Secretary Takahashi, Japanese Commissioner General Hiroshi Tsukamoto, Consul General Yutaka Yokoi, Director-General Yasuo Onishi, Japanese business representatives, Chinese Commissioner General Hua Junduo, and other representatives.
After the ribbon-cutting there was a performance by Feng Xiong, the calligrapher responsible for the calligraphy inside the Japan Pavilion, who wrote out the Chinese characters for the word "Connections" the theme of the Japan Pavilion. Feng Xiong is the only calligrapher currently based in Japan to feature on a list of "188 Chinese calligraphers and artists active abroad" selected by the Chinese government.
A press conference was held after the ceremony, at which Parliamentary Secretary Takahashi introduced video footage of the illumination of the pavilion that had taken place on the previous evening and spoke about the advanced environmental technology used in the pavilion and the latest outline of the planned exhibits.
The government of Japan places great importance on Japan's appearance at the Expo and hopes that large numbers of people will visit the Japan Pavilion.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony
(December 26, 2009)
Feng Xiong, the calligrapher who wrote the Chinese characters for "Connections"
(December 26, 2009)
The Japan Pavilion is illuminated
(December 25, 2009)
