This photo taken on July 12, 2025 shows a scene of the "Zhejiang Week" of China Pavilion at the Expo 2025 Osaka in Osaka, Japan, on July 12, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

A welcome ceremony has been held at the China Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka as the arrival of a Japanese family pushed the number of visitors to the pavilion over one million.

On Wednesday afternoon, when Teruwa Asakawa and his family entered the China Pavilion, they were greeted with words of "Welcome the millionth visitor to the China Pavilion" displayed on a big screen and presented with a panda doll and other cultural and creative souvenirs as commemorative gifts.

The Asakawa family said they were honored to be the one millionth visitor to the China Pavilion and praised the pavilion's beautiful exterior design and rich exhibits, saying it "allowed us to deeply experience China's profound historical and cultural heritage."

Director of the China Pavilion Zhang Shujing told Xinhua that since the opening of the Osaka Expo, the China Pavilion has consistently been one of the most popular pavilions, noting that welcoming its one millionth visitor is a significant moment worth celebrating.

"The arrival of these one million visitors demonstrates the love and recognition that expo visitors worldwide have for the China Pavilion," he added.

As the expo enters its second half, the China Pavilion will continue to host a series of themed events featuring over a dozen provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, Zhang said, adding that "the China Pavilion will continue to attract more visitors with its rich exhibits, exciting activities, immersive experiences, and especially warm and thoughtful services, in a bid to showcase a true, beautiful, credible, lovable, and respectable image of China."

Osaka Expo 2025 will run from April 13 to Oct. 13, 2025. The China Pavilion, one of the largest foreign self-built pavilions at the event, covers approximately 3,500 square meters.