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Please view the video of the special talk session via the link below.
https://youtu.be/gW3cgasTVfU

The festival will open with a choral performance by the Tokyo Children’s Ensemble, followed by presentations by students from elementary through university levels. After a photo session, Dr. Shojiro Nishio, Chair of the Inochi Forum Council, will deliver the announcement of the Inochi Declaration. A special panel session with five experts and a performance of Inochi, the theme song of the Inochi Forum, will follow. The program then features an instrumental performance by a-tune—a group known for connecting the world through music—followed by immersive projection mapping throughout the venue. The event will conclude with Inochi BonBon, a bon dance that brings together all participants and visitors as one.

【Reflection】
In organizing the Inochi Declaration Festival, we held a series of Action Platform sessions—theme-based working sessions or breakout groups—with broad participation from industry, government, academia, and the community. We also launched the Inochi Voice initiative, inviting people to share their ideas and hopes for the kind of future society we aim to create. From the early stages of preparation, countless people lent their support, and thanks to their efforts, the October 11 event drew a large crowd and was a resounding success.

A key achievement of the program was the public announcement of the Inochi Declaration—an intangible and enduring soft legacy of Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan which we aimed to adopt under this program—in Japan and to the world. In addition to the Declaration’s announcement, the festival also featured a choral performance by children with disabilities and presentations by students—from elementary through university levels—representing those who will shape the next generation, each proposing solutions to social challenges. We are sure that the sincerity and passion shown—particularly by the elementary school students—deeply moved the audience.

During the panel session following the announcement of the Inochi Declaration, the authors of the action plans that form its foundation took the stage. Although the session was brief, a lively discussion unfolded, incorporating international examples and perspectives. Hashimoto Masahiko then performed the theme song of the Inochi Forum,「いのち/ INOCHI」, delivering a heartfelt performance that deeply resonated with listeners.

The program also featured the e-Symphony project, which connects students around the world for real-time ensemble performances. It was followed by a finale in which everyone joined in Inochi BonBon, a bon dance created especially for the occasion. As the program shifted from calm to dynamic, the event encouraged performers and visitors alike to reflect on the meaning of Inochi and to experience the values of diversity and inclusion firsthand—an embodiment of the Expo’s theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”

While the overall program was excellent, allowing a little more time for each segment could have further enhanced audience engagement. For example, a brief interactive exchange with the audience during the panel session could have provided an opportunity to gather feedback from visitors.

【Post EXPO Initiatives】
The publication of the Inochi Declaration marks an important milestone, but it is by no means the end of our efforts. Rather, it represents a new beginning. The Inochi Forum was launched in 2023, yet its foundation lies in more than seven years of accumulated work through the Action Panels, which have now culminated in 103 Action Plans contributed by 135 collaborators. Each of these plans is already being put into practice.

Following the Expo, we will further expand these 103 Action Plans across generations and beyond regions and national borders. In addition to continuing the implementation of the Action Plans, we are currently working to create venues for sharing progress and to establish mechanisms that enable broader participation from domestic and international partners. To ensure that these efforts do not end with the Expo, we have begun preparing a sustainable organizational structure that will allow the activities to continue, including the development of related research and educational programs and the formation of collaborative frameworks with relevant institutions. Through these organizational arrangements, we aim to broaden the implementation of the Action Plans while creating new opportunities for dialogue and cooperation.

As we continue our efforts toward the SDGs target year of 2030, we have also begun considering new goals that look beyond 2030.