Efforts related to the Osaka-Kansai Expo are creating new value

Azbil Corporation is a bronze sponsor of the “Theme Weeks” at the 2025 World Expo in Japan (Osaka-Kansai Expo), held in Osaka Prefecture from April 13 to October 13, 2025. “Theme Weeks” is an initiative in which countries from around the world create a “Future Society for Our Lives” and solve global-scale issues through dialogue. A different global issue is set as the theme for each week. Not only the Organisers but also Official Participants, the Japanese government and local governments, Co-Creation Project partcipants, Expo participants such as exhibiting companies, and local governments and industries from across Japan will gather to discuss solutions in a “dialogue programme” and “business exchange” for concrete action. The Theme Weeks highlight eight themes: “Co-creating Cultures for the Future,” “The Future of Community and Mobility,” “Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing, and Shelter,” “Health and Well-being,” “Learning and Playing,” “Peace, Human Security, and Dignity,” “The Future of Earth and Biodiversity,” and “SDGs + Beyond Future Society for Life.” Azbil is participating in five of these themes and is scheduled to conduct 90-minute talk sessions at the Theme Weeks venue for the two themes, “The Future of Community and Mobility” and “The Future of the Earth and Biodiversity.” These sessions will be live-streamed via video streaming services.

Azbil has three objectives in sponsoring these Theme Weeks. The first is to promote initiatives related to the sponsorship as a company-wide project, thereby aiming to enhance the awareness of well-being among all employees. The second is to enhance employee engagement through external exchanges. The third is create new ways of working through cross-company projects. Through dialogue with experts and companies sponsoring the Expo Theme Weeks, Azbil employees are learning about the future and acting on an international level. This not only promotes internal revitalization but also aims to further develop external activities.

In the first theme, “The Future of Community and Mobility” (held from May 15 to 26), the focus is on envisioning communities where everyone can live authentically. Azbil will host a talk session under the theme “Creating a Well-Balanced Future Lifestyle with Automation,” inviting experts from various fields. The discussion will center on maintaining an optimal balance for not only individuals but also the global environment, collaboratively envisioning with participants a future that is “well-balanced” or “chodo ii” for both people and the planet. We have also invited guests from overseas to explore sustainable and comfortable living from perspectives that transcend national and cultural boundaries.

In the second theme, “The Future of Earth and Biodiversity” (held from September 17 to 28), the focus will be on what we must do to preserve a rich and diverse planet for future generations. Azbil employees, who are experts in automation, along with children from Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture and Kyotamba Town in Kyoto Prefecture, places with ties to Azbil, will present drawings titled the “Earth of the Future” and introduce the exciting world of automation that will make those pictures a reality. Together with experts in nature-positive^*1 approaches and local residents, they will exchange views on what the Earth will look like in 2050 from various perspectives and the potential of automation technology to achieve it.

In addition to the two talk sessions, Azbil will also be participating in the Co-Creation Challenge and making presentations on three themes: “Health and Well-being,” “Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing, and Shelter,” and “Learning and Playing.” The aim of this Co-Creation Challenge is to realize the Osaka-Kansai Expo’s theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” and to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. It is an initiative where participants take the lead in promoting concrete activities for the future through co-creation with other participants, companies, and local governments.

Regarding the “Necessities of Life: Food, Clothing, and Shelter,” Azbil will propose the “Circular New Sixth Industrial Challenge” as a solution to social issues such as the food crisis and environmental challenges in food production, by transforming the traditional sixth industry into a “circular new sixth industry.” Regarding “Learning and Playing,” under the theme of “Co-creating with AI: Shaping Personal Growth and the Future of Work in Your Own Way,” the azbil Group will use AI in its initiatives based on one of its basic SDGs goals: “Strengthening the foundation for solving social issues through health, well-being management,^*2 and continuous learning.” Through these initiatives, the company will provide workplaces and learning environments that make use of diverse individuality and propose a model that can be expanded to local communities and industries. In addition to the initially set themes, Azbil will also participate in the Co-Creation Challenge with its app, Synk, aimed at revitalizing internal communication. Synk is an app designed to foster connections among employees within Azbil. This session will explore its potential as a tool to promote cross-company communication. These themes will be covered not only through presentations and booth exhibits at the Expo venue but also via live-streamed broadcasts.

Additionally, the Azbil Group promotes health and well-being management, and well-being is one of its important initiatives. Presentations will be made internally regarding the Expo’s theme of “Health and Well-being.” A team primarily composed of younger employees will regularly discuss and explore “what health and well-being mean for the azbil Group,” with plans to integrate these insights into the Group’s overall well-being philosophy.

At Azbil, teams are formed for each theme of the Theme Weeks and the Co-Creation Challenge, with relevant departments taking the lead and members from other departments joining in. Team members, regardless of age or position, are promoting activities by exchanging opinions frankly and on equal footing. In this process, an environment in which young employees in particular can freely express their ideas has been fostered, nurturing the autonomy of the members.

Moreover, in the team working on the Co-Creation Challenge initiative for the Synk app, designed to enhance internal communication, there were employees who had not initially intended to participate when Azbil decided to sponsor the Theme Weeks. However, as efforts related to the Osaka-Kansai Expo progressed, they realized that they, too, wanted to participate. This led to spontaneous plans and proposals by the members who had gathered, ultimately resulting in their participation in the program. As these company-wide initiatives are promoted, there has been a noticeable improvement in the awareness of the need to achieve well-being among all employees.

Furthermore, activities leading up to the Osaka-Kansai Expo have also deepened interactions outside the company. For example, in October 2024, Azbil held a well-being exchange event with Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd., which, like Azbil, is a sponsor of the Theme Weeks. This exchange event provided an opportunity for participants to share knowledge and know-how on strategies to achieve well-being and improve engagement within organizations, and to gain new insights from each other.

The results of a survey conducted in December 2024 of members of the promotion project clearly show that various achievements are being made in the efforts related to the Osaka-Kansai Expo. When asked about what they enjoyed or learned from participating in the Expo project team activities, many members responded that they were able to build new relationships with members from other departments and broaden their perspectives. It is clear that Azbil is making steady progress toward achieving well-being, improving employee engagement, and creating new ways of working, which are the goals it set when it announced its support for the Osaka-Kansai Expo. It is anticipated that these achievements will have expanded significantly by the end of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. By participating in the Osaka-Kansai Expo, Azbil aims to share the challenging themes through dialogue with both internal and external participants, ensuring that everyone involved in Azbil’s talk sessions gains new insights.