Japan Day celebrated at World Expo in Osaka

The 2025 World Expo in Osaka, western Japan, celebrated Japan Day on Thursday, with a presentation combining traditional and contemporary performing arts. Japan's Crown Prince Akishino, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and representatives from various countries attended the event.

The stage program included a performance of gagaku, or Imperial court music, and a projection mapping of manga featuring Myaku-Myaku, the 2025 World Expo official character. There was also a performance fusing contemporary dance and manga.

Actor Fujiwara Norika, who serves as the honorary director of the Japan Pavilion, read out a message about the region's restoration from a major earthquake in 1995. The event ended with a live performance by popular Japanese singer Misia, who sang three songs. Following the ceremony, the Hello Kitty character, a popular regional mascot named Kumamon and people clad in kimono walked underneath the Grand Ring, a huge structure built as the symbol of the expo.