Japan Pavilion officially opens its doors to visitors at Dubai Expo 2020

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Under the theme ‘where ideas meet’ the pavilion will demonstrate how diverse encounters can create new ideas and lead us to join toward a better future. (ANJ Photo)
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Under the theme ‘where ideas meet’ the pavilion will demonstrate how diverse encounters can create new ideas and lead us to join toward a better future. (ANJ Photo)
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Under the theme ‘where ideas meet’ the pavilion will demonstrate how diverse encounters can create new ideas and lead us to join toward a better future. (ANJ Photo)
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Updated 03 October 2021
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Japan Pavilion officially opens its doors to visitors at Dubai Expo 2020

DUBAI: The Japan Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 officially celebrated its grand opening on Friday and will be open to visitors for the entirety of the exhibition until March 31, 2022.

INOUE Manabu, Deputy Director-General for World Expo 2025, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry greeted the guests, while NAKAMURA Tomiyasu, Commissioner General of the Japanese Section, Expo 2020 Dubai, declared the opening of the pavilion.

“The coming economic relationship with Japan and the UAE has a great potential as a testbed for new business, in addition to the existing sectors such as energy and gateway to other Middle Eastern Markets,” NAKAJIMA Akihiko, Ambassador of Japan to the UAE, said at the ceremony.

“The theme of Japan Pavilion, ‘Where ideas meet,’ aligns with the future vision of the UAE, which I would describe as ‘intellectual relaying trade.”

The ceremony also welcomed SEKIGUCHI Noboru, Consul-General of Japan in Dubai, ICHINOKI Manatsu, Deputy Secretary General, Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. At the celebration, guests toured the innovative pavilion, observed interactive demonstrations and learned about Japanese culture, heritage, and the latest technology features. Expertly trained team at the pavilion who focus on the latest technology trends and hospitality are prepared to provide customer service to all visitors.

Under the theme ‘Where ideas meet,’ the pavilion will demonstrate how diverse encounters can create new ideas and lead us to join toward a better future.

The pavilion has also launched two websites to provide an engaging digital experience to a worldwide audience. One of them, JUNKAN, designed to share visitors’ voices on issues and solution ideas, is co-created together with Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. The virtual pavilion offers viewers the ideas that can be experienced at Japan Pavilion.

Japan Pavilion also features Kaiten sushi chain Sushiro’s first foray into the Middle East – offering traditional Japanese ingredients and techniques for a truly innovative culinary experience. All halal items are specially developed for this event. Other Japan’s favorite items are waiting for guests.

This story was originally run in Japanese on Arab News Japan


Algeria inaugurates strategic railway to giant Sahara mine

President Tebboune attended an inauguration ceremony in Bechar. (AFP file photo)
Updated 02 February 2026
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Algeria inaugurates strategic railway to giant Sahara mine

  • The mine is expected to produce 4 million tons per year during the initial phase, with production projected to triple to 12 million tons per year by 2030
  • The project is financed by the Algerian state and partly built by a Chinese consortium

ALGEIRS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday inaugurated a nearly 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) desert railway to transport iron ore from a giant mine, a project he called one of the biggest in the country’s history.
The line will bring iron ore from the Gara Djebilet deposit in the south to the city of Bechar located 950 kilometers north, to be taken to a steel production plant near Oran further north.
The project is financed by the Algerian state and partly built by a Chinese consortium.
During the inauguration, Tebboune described it as “one of the largest strategic projects in the history of independent Algeria.”
This project aims to increase Algeria’s iron ore extraction capacity, as the country aspires to become one of Africa’s leading steel producers.
The iron ore deposit is also seen as a key driver of Algeria’s economic diversification as it seeks to reduce its reliance on hydrocarbons, according to experts.
President Tebboune attended an inauguration ceremony in Bechar, welcoming the first passenger train from Tindouf in southern Algeria and sending toward the north a first charge of iron ore, according to footage broadcast on national television.
The mine is expected to produce 4 million tons per year during the initial phase, with production projected to triple to 12 million tons per year by 2030, according to estimates by the state-owned Feraal Group, which manages the site.
It is then expected to reach 50 million tons per year in the long term, it said.
The start of operations at the mine will allow Algeria to drastically reduce its iron ore imports and save $1.2 billion per year, according to Algerian media.