Japan's hopes that the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture would help resolve its diplomatic issues with other countries, especially China, failed to achieve significant results as the fair ended its six-month run Sunday.
During the expo, about 200 foreign dignitaries made official visits to Japan, including nine royal family members, 18 heads of state and 16 prime ministers. Among them, 34 met with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. But a visit from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, which Tokyo had most hoped for, never materialized.
Wen never took up Japan's invitation in April to visit the expo, due to strong anti-Japan sentiment in China over Koizumi's annual visits to Yasukuni Shrine.
Japan had hoped Wen's visit would help get mutual visits between Koizumi and President Hu Jintao back on track as they have been stalled due to the Yasukuni and other issues.
China sent Vice Premier Wu Yi to its national day at the expo in May, but she abruptly canceled a scheduled meeting with Koizumi. Bilateral tensions heightened further when Beijing later said the cancellation was due to Koizumi's remarks on his Yasukuni visits.
Some had remained hopeful that a senior official in the Chinese leadership would visit Japan for the expo's closing ceremony Sunday, as Shanghai will host the next world expo in 2010. But in the end, the city was represented by its vice mayor, Zhou Yupeng, at the ceremony.
The Foreign Ministry, however, stressed that the expo played an important role in diplomacy as the foreign leaders' visits allowed Koizumi to discuss such issues as Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.