(Provisional translation by an external company for reference purpose only)
I would like to report on the musical performance by the Ground Self-Defense Forces (GSDF) Band on the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. The Expo is an event that brings together the government, business community, and local governments to work as one. From this perspective, the Ministry of Defense (MOD) has decided to hold the Blue Impulse demonstration flight, which was recently announced. In addition to this, the GSDF Band will perform music, with visual accompaniment, during the opening ceremony scheduled for Saturday, April 12. Through this performance, the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the public will enliven the opening ceremony in the venue. The GSDF Band will also play the fanfare at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening scheduled for April 13. While the details of the performance will be discussed and coordinated going forward, we intend to make it an attractive performance that will bring joy to many people, in line with the theme of the opening ceremony, “Re-Connect: Circulate, Resonate, Return, Connect.” The MOD and the SDF will continue to fulfill their roles to ensure the success of the Expo. Yesterday, I traveled to the Philippines on an overseas visit and had the opportunity to meet and talk with the President. I was wearing a pin badge of the Expo’s mascot, MYAKU-MYAKU on my chest, and at the end of the meeting, I handed the President the pin badge of MYAKU-MYAKU and explained it is the mascot character for the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka. He asked me many questions about the mascot, such as the meaning of MYAKU-MYAKU, to which I responded in detail.