Press Release

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition (hereinafter referred to as “the Association”) will hold the Junior Expo “Presentations by Junior High School Students” on Saturday, February 26, 2022, at “The 3rd Kansai SDGs Youth Meeting” as a platform for children to present what they have learnt through the Junior Expo 2025 Educational Programme.

The programme was launched in October 2020 to encourage children, who will play a leading role in the future, to participate in efforts towards Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan (hereinafter referred to as “the Expo”) in the run-up to the Expo. Students also learn about the SDGs, think of ideas around the theme of the Expo, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives”, and develop an interest in visiting the Expo site in 2025.
In the 2021 academic year, the programme is open to elementary and junior high schools in the Kansai area (Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Wakayama Prefectures). In this presentation, the Association solicited ideas that summarise what the students learnt through the programme from participating junior high schools. From the submissions, the judges have selected the three best ideas, which will be presented by the junior high school students and commented on by the judges.

Date and Time Saturday, 26 February 2022, 13:20 – 15:00 (scheduled)

Programme
*Contents are subject to change.
(The presentation will be live-streamed on YouTube.)
13:20 – 13:25  Message from the organiser
　 SAKAI Yoshimasa, Director General, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
13:25 – 13:35  Special Message (proxy reading)
　YAMANAKA Shinya, ambassador of the Expo (Director Emeritus and Professor, Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application(CiRA), Kyoto University)
　Special Guest
　Pokémon (Pikachu), special supporter of the Expo
13:35 – 14:25  Presentations by junior high school students
14:25 -14:30  General Comments
14:30 – 14:40  Awards
14:40 – 15:00  Photo Session

Judges (in alphabetical order)
　・ITO Takeshi, Professor, Social Solution Initiative, Osaka University
　・KAJITANI Takushi, Osaka Representative Office, The Asahi Shimbun Company
　・MIZUTA Atsuko, Educational Consulting Division, CAREERLINK CO., LTD.
　・OKUDA Kana, Strategic Business Section, Strategic Business Division, The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition
　・TAWA Masahiro, JICA Kansai Senior Advisor (SDGs) / Specially appointed Professor, Center for Global Initiatives , Osaka University

Participating schools (number of students expected to participate: 16)
*Participation in alphabetical order, all will participate remotely
・Osaka Municipal Showa Junior High School
・Kobe International Junior High School
・Kobe Municipal Mikage Junior High School

The 3rd Kansai SDGs Youth Meeting Official Website
https://www.youth2030.jp/　　(Japanese)

*You need to apply for the 3rd Kansai SDGs Youth Meeting to watch the presentations by junior high school students.

Application for participation
Advance registration is required to watch the livestream. The participation fee is free. Please apply using the dedicated form below.
https://www.youth2030.jp/youthaction2021-0226/inq.cgi

Others
・This programme is subsidised by the JKA (Japan KeirinnAutorace Foundation).
・The junior expo for primary schools (a poster presentation) is scheduled to be held in March this year.