The government plans to exhibit one of the world's biggest meteorites from Mars at its pavilion at this year's World Exposition in the city of Osaka, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The meteorite, collected by a Japanese Antarctic research expedition in 2000, will be shown to the public for the first time at the expo. It is a scientifically important material containing clay minerals that indicate that there was water on Mars in the past.
The Japan Pavilion is also expected to feature sand samples of the asteroids Itokawa and Ryugu collected by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa probes.
Those displays will help visitors "trace the origin and circulation of life," a government official said.
The Japan Pavilion will be divided into Farm, Factory and Plant areas.
The Farm Area will feature algae, which are effective against global warming. In the Factory Area, robot-arm 3D printers will make stools from bioplastics containing algae. The Plant Area will showcase a biogas power generation system in which microorganisms convert food waste collected in the expo venue into energy.
Popular characters Hello Kitty and Doraemon will serve as navigators at the Japan Pavilion.
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