Osaka Expo Highlights Technologies from Small Businesses

Osaka, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)–The 2025 World Exposition, which ran for six months and is set to close on Monday, provided an opportunity to small Japanese companies for promoting their unique technologies, including in metal processing and textiles. At the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion at the Expo venue on the artificial island of Yumeshima in the western Japan city of Osaka, a total of more than 400 small companies took turns exhibiting their products and technologies each week. Osaka Yakin Kogyo Co., based in the city of Osaka, showcased artificial bones made of titanium for medical use. The company excels in handling titanium using 3D printers. “This is the result of more than 50 years of our knowledge and research on materials,” Osaka Yakin President Shuntaro Terauchi said. Osaka Yakin stands out in that it custom-makes artificial bones that fit each patient’s skeletal structure, and its products are in high demand from doctors. The company has already launched artificial bones for the jaw, but sales have remained low. After sample artificial bones of other parts were shown at the pavilion, elderly visitors asked the company to commercialize artificial bones of the hip joint as soon as possible. Osaka Yakin now aims to expand its product lineup. Marui Textile Machinery Co., also from the city of Osaka, showcased so-called polyoxymethylene (POM) fiber, which can be manufactured without the use of fossil fuel. The company’s technology extracts components necessary for the fiber from methane gas and carbon monoxide emitted from factories and other facilities. The company emphasizes that its technology can contribute to the creation of a decarbonized society. An official from an Italian company who saw the POM fiber at the pavilion asked Marui Textile Machinery to send a sample of the fiber. An investor proposed supporting Marui Textile Machinery’s fund procurement, according to the company. Senshu Ikeda Bank, a regional lender in Osaka Prefecture, introduced experts to Marui Textile Machinery so that it can receive technical consultations. In recent years, an increasing number of financial institutions are supporting small companies in research and development and demonstration tests, which are often difficult for them to conduct on their own. The Osaka Expo gave small companies, many of which are not well known, a good opportunity to attract broad attention. “Taking part in the Expo was of great significance to us,” Marui Textile Machinery President Ryo Marui said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]