March 10, 2025
TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced that as a sponsor, it attended the ceremony to mark the completion of the “Future Life Expo: Future City” Pavilion (Note 1), one of the Future Society Showcase Projects at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. As part of the ceremony, MOL gave a detailed presentation of its exhibit, including a hands-on preview of the attraction.
Completion ceremony for “Future City” Pavilion (4th from right: MOL President & CEO Takeshi Hashimoto)
As one of the largest pavilions at the Expo, with an impressive exterior made of renewable materials, “Future City” was the first pavilions to be unveiled and celebrated. MOL’s exhibit consists of a hands-on attraction for visitors, featuring a large model of the Wind Hunter (Note 2), a next-generation zero-emission vessel that produces and transports hydrogen by capturing wind, and five thematic video projections on a large 7.5-meter-long screen. The actual exhibition production that will be used during the exhibition was revealed during the March 10 preview.
In the “Wind Vision Attraction,” an interactive exhibit, a simulated voyage begins when visitors wave fans to send wind to a 4-meter-long, 3-meter-high Wind Hunter model, and the process of producing, transporting, and supplying hydrogen is projected on a large screen in the rear of the Wind Hunter model. Not only does the model’s sail expand, contract, and rotate in response to the wind generated by visitors, but also the ending scene changes depending on the amount of wind. In addition, visitors can also take home the fans used for the demonstration as souvenirs of their visit.
Projected images at the interactive “Wind Vision Attraction”
The five images projected on the large screen at any given time are based on the themes of “Creating a Hydrogen Society,” “Harnessing the Infinite Wind,” “Connecting Manufacturing,” “Creating Value in Daily Life,” and “Moving the Future,” and the content expresses the relationship of vessels with society, industry, and people, and brings the shipping industry closer to the visitors. Using animation, live-action, and computer graphics to convey messages on each theme, the attraction provides a new and exciting experience that will keep visitors coming back again and again.
In addition, a collaborative video will be projected on the theme of the “Future Hydrogen Supply Chain,” which features the Wind Hunter which produces hydrogen and a hydrogen-fueled next-generation mobility,(Note 3) exhibited by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. Dramatic displays on a powerful 17-meter-long screen, combining video of both exhibits, will transport visitors into the dynamic society of the future.
MOL’s exhibit space
Some of the images projected on screen
[Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan Outline of MOL’s Exhibit]
Dates: Sunday, April 13, 2025 – Monday (Holiday), October 13, 2025
Exhibit Zone: “Future Society Showcase” pavilion, “Transportation and Mobility” zone
Future City Pavilion Exterior
Future City venue floor
The MOL Group has positioned environmental strategy as one of a keys to its management plan “BLUE ACTION 2035” and pursues initiatives to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050 and sustainable development of people, society, and the Earth.
(Note 1)
“Future City” is the key element of the “Future Society Showcase,” a joint exhibition project by the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition and 12 sponsoring companies and organizations, and one of the largest pavilions at the Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. The showcase includes the “Future Experience with 15 attractions.” For more information about “Future City” and the sponsorship and exhibits, please see the links below.
*MOL Expo Special Page: WIND VISION “Future Life Expo: Future City” Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai
*August 2, 2023: MOL to sponsor Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition on Theme ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’
*July 17, 2024: First phase of the pavilion’s exhibition content announced.
*August 29, 2024: MOL Unveils Exhibition Content for Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan ‘Future City’
(Note 2)
This project aims to achieve complete zero GHG emissions by adopting the technology of the Wind Challenger, a hard sail wind propulsion system, and the know-how of the Wind Hunter, a green hydrogen production vessel that can create, store, and transport hydrogen while sailing under offshore wind power.
Related website: WIND HUNTER Project – Shape the future with the wind and hydrogen
(Note 3)
Kawasaki Heavy Industries website: https://www.khi.co.jp/expo2025/index_en.html
MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues
MOL Group identifies “Sustainability Issues” (Materiality) as our key issues for sustainable growth with society through realization of the Group Vision.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute especially to the realization of “Safety & Value -Provide added value through safe transportation and our social infrastructure business-“, “Environment -Conservation for Marine and global environment-” ,”Human & Community -Contributing to the growth and development of people and communities-” and “Innovation -Innovation for development in marine technology-.”
AloJapan.com