Public Announcement of the Program for the Japan Day Official Ceremony and Event at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan

National Days are held at world expositions to honor official participants and foster international understanding and friendship.

The National Day of Japan (Japan Day) will be held on Thursday, July 3, at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan, and the Government of Japan will host the Japan Day official ceremony and event. The theme for the official ceremony and event is “LIFE WILL BLOOM.”

In addition to an already announced performance by the singer MISIA, the stage program will feature collaborations between musicians of gagaku (Japanese traditional music) and modern music performers, a fusion of Japanese manga and contemporary dancing, and other performances that will provide the audience with an opportunity to experience the tradition, innovation, diversity and creativity of Japanese culture.

Outline of the official ceremony and event

• Date: 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 3, 2025 (planned)
  The doors will open at noon.
• Venue: EXPO Hall Shining Hat within the Expo 2025 venue
• Application period: Tuesday, June 3 to Wednesday, June 25, 2025
• Host: Government of Japan

Program of the official ceremony and event (honorific titles omitted for performer)

• Performance by gagaku musicians (Music Department, Board of the Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency)
• Opening video
• Opening address
• National anthem solo (soprano singer Nonomura Ayano) and national flag raising
• Greeting from the host
• Collaboration between gagaku musicians (Tokyo Gakuso) and modern music performers and videos to express the history of Japanese culture
• Fusion of Japanese manga and contemporary dancing (IIMURO NAOKI MIME COMPANY)
• Special performance on “Life” (Fujiwara Norika)
• Special live performance themed on hope for the future (MISIA)

In addition to the above performances, a shodo (Japanese calligraphy) club from Tottori Johoku High School (champion school of the 17th Shodo Performance Koshien) will give a shodo performance as a welcome attraction before the opening ceremony.

Music Department, Board of the Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency

Gagaku performed by the Court musicians of the Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency is designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property. The Court musicians are collectively designated as holders of Important Intangible Cultural Properties, a designation that is commonly referred to as being a "living national treasure," and their activities continue to this day to preserve the format of gagaku that has been passed down through the millennia. The members of the Music Department are also proficient in Western music and perform at events in the Imperial Palace. The department is one of Japan's oldest ensembles performing Western music.

Profile of Ms. Nonomura Ayano

Ms. Nonomura completed the regular course and won the excellence award of the Tokyo Nikikai Opera Institute, received a diploma from University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and won both the high school selection and the university selection of the Student Music Concours of Japan as the first two-title winner in the history of the vocal department. She is highly praised for her stage presence, such as at a recital held at Carnegie Hall and other concerts and operas while giving a wide variety of performances, including singing game and animation theme songs and national anthem solos at sports events and ceremonies.

Tokyo Gakuso

Tokyo Gakuso was formed in 1978 for the purpose of performing gagaku widely as a musical art. As a performance group that passes down gagaku to future generations, it plays a role in fostering prominent gagaku musicians. It has released more than ten CDs to popularize gagaku.

IIMURO NAOKI MIME COMPANY

IIMURO NAOKI MIME COMPANY was formed in 2002 as a group led by the mime actor Mr. Iimuro Naoki to create and perform non-verbal works mainly by mime. With actors and actresses who continue mime training in the same system as that of Iimuro, the Kansai-based company pursues creation and performance of group mime plays both at home and abroad, a rarity in Japan.

Profile of Ms. Fujiwara Norika

Ms. Fujiwara was born in Hyogo Prefecture. She won the Grand Prix at the Miss Japan Contest in 1992. After graduating from university, she started a career as a model before becoming an actor. She has starred in various drama series, films, and theater productions, and she has been expanding her range of professional roles to include hosting music programs, acting as a news anchor, and working as a voice actor and a singer.
In addition to her activities in the entertainment industry, she has been proactively engaging in projects that contribute to society, as seen in her appointment as a special publicity envoy for the Japanese Red Cross Society. She is also a leader of a non-profit organization called Smile Please under the World Children’s Fund. Through this organization, she has been promoting educational support programs for children in Japan and overseas for over 20 years, including the construction of schools in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Nepal.
In March 2025, she was appointed as the Honorary Director of the Japan Pavilion.

Application procedures

For details of the application procedures, please refer to the following:

• Please click here to make an application for the official ceremony and event.

1. Register your Expo ID.
2. Purchase an admission ticket for Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan.
3. Make a reservation for your visit date and time.
   Please note that if you have made a reservation to visit the venue at noon or later, you will be unable to make an application for the reservation/lottery for the ceremony and related events. In order to make the application, please change your visit time to earlier than noon.
4. On the seven-day advance lottery application screen, make an application for the lottery for the Japan Day official ceremony and event.

• Reference: Link

Division in Charge

International Exhibitions Promotion Office, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group