"It is with the greatest pleasure that I can say that, during the six months of the Expo, 5 million people have visited the Japan Pavilion, regardless of the long queues. Visitors especially appreciated Japan's cutting-edge technology, such as the violin-playing robot, our big interactive TV screen, called the 'Life Wall', and the 'Wonder Camera', which focuses on people's smiling faces. Moreover, a musical performance that was co-produced by Japanese and Chinese directors has received many positive comments.

A lot of Japanese people visited the Shanghai Expo and witnessed the fact that, not only the Expo, but also the city itself was practicing the concept of 'Better City, Better Life' on a magnificent scale and at a tremendous speed.

To take some examples, the city's glorious past lives on in the culturally preserved, and recently renovated, Bund area, while dynamic and future-oriented urban developments can be seen in the financial district of Lujiazui in Pudong.

I believe that this Expo, and the city of Shanghai, have created for everyone a strong impression about how China is making huge strides in its development, and I would like to celebrate the success of this unprecedented Expo."

(China Daily 10/29/2010)