Statement by Expo Association Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda on the Closing of EXPO 2005

September 25, 2005
Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition

The highly popular 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan, comes to a close today, 185 days after opening on March 25. I am sincerely grateful to the efforts made by the 125 official participating countries and organizations, domestic participants, and all those concerned who helped make this event a resounding success. I would also like to extend my profound gratitude to the more than 22 million visitors who came to enjoy the Expo from countries around the world.

Under the theme of “Nature’s Wisdom,” EXPO 2005 explored approaches to tackling issues of global scale confronting humanity and achieving harmony with nature to enable environmentally sustainable development. Visitors have been able to experience leading-edge technologies relating to energy, moving images, and robots and experiment with new social structures and lifestyles. These, along with the active participation of nonprofit and other civic groups, have resulted in achievements that have been unlike those of any earlier Expo.

Through the gathering of and exchange among people from around the globe, we have also been able to share the importance of understanding and tolerating cultures and values different from our own. I believe that each visitor has been prompted into thinking about life in the 21st century in his or her own way, and young visitors – who will be the leaders of tomorrow – have been moved to embrace new dreams, hopes, and a sense of wonder about what the future may bring.

It is my strong desire that EXPO 2005 be remembered as turning a new page in the illustrious history of international exhibitions and that its guiding principles live on in many hearts, to be passed on to and further developed by future generations.

Thank you very much for all your support and cooperation.