Omar Al Amudi, AAJ representative director (fifth from left), poses with Aramco Asia-Japan representatives, Mamoru Mohri, chief executive director of Miraikan (fourth from left) and Miraikan delegates in front of the symbolic globe-like display “Geo-Cosmos.”
Aramco Asia-Japan (AAJ) recently signed an agreement with The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation to contribute to the efforts of disseminating knowledge while enhancing the public interest and understanding of science and technology among local residents.
Locally known as Miraikan, which broadly means “future museum” in Japanese, it is the latest partner of AAJ and Saudi Aramco’s corporate social responsibility endeavor for 2018 under the pillar of promoting a knowledge society.
Located in the metropolitan area of Tokyo, the museum attracts more than one million visitors from all over the world every year. The experience-based exhibitions not only showcase cutting-edge science and technology, but also help the audiences understand how science and technology can influence the future.
At the signing ceremony, Omar M. Al Amudi, AAJ representative director, said he looked forward to the future collaboration.
“Saudi Aramco has recently inaugurated the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). The initiative is designed to promote cross-cultural development through its multipurpose facilities, which include an auditorium, a modern library, an exhibition hall and a museum, among others. This is, of course, completely aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, especially in the areas of culture and entertainment. I hope this agreement will usher a new chapter of cooperation and collaboration between AAJ, Ithra, and Miraikan, since they have a wide range of commonalities.
“We are truly privileged to establish this connection,” said Mamoru Mohri, chief executive director of Miraikan. “It is our strong belief that science and technology are both integral and a vital part of culture. By accumulating and combining the wisdom from various cultures, we can create a better future. Such activities at both platforms can generate synergy.”
Interactive and Evolving
The unique setup of Miraikan is its design to prompt visitors to stop, ponder, and discuss the future of science and technology. Miraikan’s first-of-its-kind, globe-like display “Geo-Cosmos” that is made with organic electroluminescent panels displaying virtual real-time events of global weather patterns, ocean temperatures, as well as other geographic, scientific, and socioeconomic topics.
It was created based on the wishes of Mohri, who was the first Japanese astronaut to fly on a NASA space shuttle mission twice — first in 1992, and then again, in 2000. Mohri wanted to share with people the sight of the beautiful Earth he had seen from space as an astronaut.
Visitors can also meet different types of active humanoid robots at Miraikan. They prompt and inspire visitors to imagine a future society with robots.
The museum also has the presence of science communicators, who provide easy-to-understand explanations of exhibits to visitors leveraging their specialized knowledge and communication skills to connect science with society.
The keyword of Miraikan’s activities is Tsunagari — a Japanese word for linkage, relation, and connection. It recognizes the relationships between 10 billion people and the 4.6-billion-year-old Earth, valuing the collaboration with national and international organizations to implement activities for the future. AAJ looks forward to the Tsunagari with Miraikan.