EXPO 2005

History and present of Aichi

In the year 2005 the world will meet in the Japanese prefecture Aichi.

The World Exposition Expo 2005 in Japan will be held in Seto City, Nagakute Town and in Toyota City near the city of Nagoya in the Aichi prefecture from March 25 to September 25, 2005. The official name of this extraordinary project is the World Exposition 2005 Aichi, Japan; or EXPO 2005 Aichi in short.

Aichi - a combination of rich history, economy and nature

Aichi ken (prefecture) is situated on the Pacific coast of Japan’s largest island of Honshu. With its area of 5,154 square kilometers this is the 28th largest Japanese prefecture out of the country´s total of 43. The second biggest Japanese river Kiso runs through Aichi´s western part. In the east, the Chita peninsula, with its mountain region Owari, juts out into the Pacific. In this part of the Honshu Island the Pacific current creates a relatively moderate climate even though temperatures around the prefecture’s administrative center of Nagoya are quite high in the summer months.

Aichi borders on the prefectures of Nagano, Mie, Shizuoka and Gifu. In the past, the Aichi prefecture comprised three independent areas – Owari, Mikawa and Ho. After the year 1872 the Owari and Mikawa regions were merged, giving rise to the Aichi prefecture as we know it today.

The name Aichi has its origin in one of the poems by Takechi Kuroto who sung the praise of the Ayuchi region. As time went by, this name was eventually shortened to Aichi. Its prefectural office was established in Nagoya in 1871, and Aichi was recognized as the official name of the prefecture.

Officially adopted in 1950, the emblem of the Aichi prefecture symbolizes the region’s openness to the outside world. At the same time, the name of the prefecture as well as the symbolic element of the sun rising above the ocean are composed into the emblem.

This well-advanced region with a long and eventful history and cultural traditions can boast of its leading position in the so-called "monozukuri", rich in different types of production ranging from industries to skilled handiwork. Thanks to its central position, Aichi is also Japan’s major road traffic junction. In a historical perspective, Aichi is noted for its 1,300-year old tradition of hand-made ceramics, its 500-year long history of traditional handicrafts, a basis for the country’s textile industry, and its century-long history of railway, aerospace and car transport.

Aichi and EXPO 2005

As the main site of EXPO 2005, Aichi will become a genuine microcosm of cultures, history and social systems of the entire plant in the coming period.

The city of Seto, where the main exposition zone will be located, has been a well-known center of Japan’s famous china manufacture for the past 1,300 years, with the whole prefecture being a historically relevant political, economic and cultural hub.

The Chubu region, of which the Aichi prefecture is also a part, has always played a seminal role in the development of Japanese technology and industry. This region is currently best known for its agriculture, forestry and fisheries. It is precisely this unique symbiosis that makes Chubu an ideal venue for EXPO 2005 Aichi - an exposition that is aimed at harmonizing technology with nature, thus laying solid economic foundations for a 21st century society.

Respect for Nature
The exposition area known as the ”Youth Park”, being built by the Japanese organizers with exceptional care and respect for surrounding nature, will cover an area of 173 hectares. It is expected to draw some 15 million visitors, of which 10 million will come from Japan.

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