Harnessing My Own Experiences to Help Suntory Make Expo 2025 a Success

I’m the Senior General Manager of the EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Promotion Department, which was first established in March 2022 as the EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Preparation Department. We are a small team of nine people, including myself, but various teams across the Group are involved in the preparations as a Group-wide effort.
When first assigned to this post, I expected the work to be challenging given the heavy responsibility of heading up this major project. I remember seeing firsthand the world festival at the Expo 2020 Dubai just before it ended, which motivated me to make this project a success. All of my team members are highly motivated, discussing opinions in passionate debate and working hard with the motto of “Let’s keep going to the closing.”
Since joining Suntory, I have taken a wide range of roles, from beer sales in Osaka City, to promotion planning for alcoholic beverages, brand management for imported wines, human resources development for young and mid-level employees, cultural projects, and management audit staff. Preparations for Expo 2025 require collaboration and prior coordination with various departments. The many connections I’ve made previously with other departments thanks to my previous work experience is being put to good use in my current assignment.

Three Reasons Why Suntory Decided to Participate in Expo 2025

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai marks Suntory’s fourth time participating in a World Expo. Every one up to now, beginning with Expo 1970 held in Osaka, has conveyed a message about the harmony between people and nature. The same holds true for Expo 2025. Suntory’s purpose is to “To inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature.” The theme of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” is highly compatible with our purpose, and the fact that our direction aligns with this theme is one of the reasons why Suntory decided to participate.

The World Expo is a long-storied and large-scale event borne from the 1928 International Convention. It is a place where diverse cultures can interact, providing a great opportunity to promote the Suntory brand to many visitors from all over the world, including those from official participating countries. Also, because Expo 2025 is being held in Osaka, where Suntory was founded, we want the entire Group to contribute to making the event a great success.

A Novel Approach without Pavilions

At Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, Suntory will be exhibiting through the “water show” rather than a pavilion, which marks a first. In addition, we will operate three restaurants with different concepts, and also host a next-generation environmental program for children. Suntory products and services will also be available at the venue via food trucks and vending machines.

The largest water show in the history of the World Expo. A huge stage space measuring about 200 by 60 meters, encompassing a show area of approximately 8,800 square meters, will be created on the water at Expo 2025’s Water Plaza. Approximately 300 fountains, as well as various lighting, lasers and other performance devices will be used to create a show.

In particular, I would like encourage people to experience the water spectacle show that will be held at the Water Plaza, an area that symbolizes Expo 2025. The water show’s theme is “spectacle of air and water” and is jointly organized by Suntory and Daikin Industries, both local companies based in Osaka. Water and air are essential for designing future society for our lives. Through the water show, we will express the aspirations of Suntory, “Sustained by Nature and Water,” and Daikin Industries, “Providing Answers with Air.” We hope that visitors will enjoy an exciting experience, and that it will also present an opportunity to think about the importance of water and air, and the future of people and nature.

Ms. Maeba speaking at the Nikkei SDGs Festival about Suntory’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan and what to see.

In addition to the water show, Suntory will also collaborate with Daikin Industries on our restaurant named SUIKUU. The interior uses video and air conditioning technology to recreate the image of clear, flowing water, lush green scenery, and refreshing air, making visitors feel as if they are dining outdoors on a plateau, even while on the waterfront of the Expo site. As the two companies worked together to come up with the concept based on the keyword “water and air,” we were inspired by the idea that drinking water or eating a simple meal on a refreshing plateau tastes great. We hope that visitors will want to continue the “happiness of enjoying the gifts of nature, in nature” into the future and that they will want to preserve nature for future generations.

For SUNTORY PARK CAFE, featuring the design concept of a park in harmony with water, we decided to make it a place where people can casually drop in, unwind, and rejuvenate, considering that visitors want to actively explore the bustling Expo 2025 site. We arrived at the concept of a park because we wanted to create a place where a diverse range of visitors, whether they be with family, friends, or alone, could enjoy themselves in their own way while still feeling somewhat connected.

SUIKUU offers visitors a rich dining experience thanks to the gifts of nature. Offerings include SUIKUU Ale, Suntory’s first beer made from regenerative agricultural ingredients (barley and hops), Japanese wine SUNTORY FROM FARM Tomi No Oka Red Toki no Kasane and Shinshu Symphony 2023, which come in reduced CO₂ bottles, and shaved ice made from Suntory Tennensui (Mineral Water).

Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan is the first Expo to be held since the COVID-19 pandemic ended. The pandemic significantly restricted people’s ability to gather and enjoy events in the same space. It also had a major impact on the food and beverage industry, including Suntory. During the time we were unable to dine out with family and friends at restaurants, I came to appreciate the value of human interactions that come from eating and drinking. It is especially meaningful that Expo 2025 will take place in the post-COVID era, as everyone can again gather in one place to enjoy events like the water show and dine together.

“I want visitors to experience lots of fun and delicious food. Suntory will offer a place for new realizations that will encourage people to think about what they can do to preserve this happiness for the future,” says Ms. Maeba.

Suntory engages in a variety of businesses in addition to non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, yet the corporate message of “Sustained by Nature and Water” is common to all of our businesses. We benefit from nature’s gifts, enrich them through our manufacturing and innovation, and provide consumers with rich experiences and moments. I hope that visitors will have fun and embrace Suntory’s message through Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan.