起工式の様子（Scenes from the groundbreaking ceremony）

NTT East Japan held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, the 8th, for the construction of the “NTT EAST Pavilion,” which will be exhibited at the 2027 International Horticultural Exposition (GREEN x EXPO 2027) to be held in Yokohama. Construction will begin in May, with completion scheduled for December. The concept of the “NTT EAST Pavilion” is “Well.” “Well” embodies three meanings: “Well-being,” “Welcome,” and “Planting (the seeds of the future).”

President Naoki Shibutani stated his aspirations, saying, “I believe that completing the project safely and without incident from the start of construction to demolition is of paramount importance. I want to see this groundbreaking ceremony through to the end.”

He also shared the following anecdote.

“Yokohama is like a hometown to us. That’s because 157 years ago, in 1869, during the Meiji Restoration, Yokohama was the first place in Japan to begin telegraph service, aiming to transform Japan into a modern nation like the Western powers. Furthermore, in 1890, telephone service began between Tokyo and Yokohama. And now, the first A1-class international exposition in the Tokyo metropolitan area is being held in Yokohama, and our company is exhibiting a pavilion there, sharing the experience. We feel a sense of history and destiny at work.”

An A1-class exposition is the highest level of international horticultural exposition. This is the first such event in Japan in 37 years, since the 1990 International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Osaka).

At the NTT EAST Pavilion, we will showcase to the world our vision for creating an environmentally friendly society in harmony with nature, utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as IOWN to create highly immersive video.

President Shibutani said, “This aligns with our company’s purpose of co-creating a regionally-oriented circular society, and we want to create a pavilion where visitors can comfortably experience a natural feeling, blending into the natural environment alongside digital technology.”

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