Latest news with #Expo
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Denso to invest ₹250 crore in new EV component plant in UP
Japanese automotive major Denso Corporation will invest ₹250 crore to establish a manufacturing plant for motor generators in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, a key move to bolster the electric and hybrid vehicle ecosystem in India, TNN reports. The investment was confirmed after a strategic meeting between Denso executives and a visiting delegation from Uttar Pradesh, led by Alok Kumar, principal secretary (infrastructure and industrial development), at Denso 's global headquarters in Kariya, Japan. Senior members of Invest UP also participated in the discussions. Motor generators, central to hybrid and electric vehicles, will be the primary focus of the upcoming facility, which is expected to support India's transition to cleaner mobility solutions . The meeting took place on the sidelines of the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, where a UP delegation headed by state finance minister Suresh Khanna is engaging with Japanese industry leaders and government officials. The team also held talks with Osaka Prefectural Assembly leaders, Kida Kaoru and Kinjo Katsunori, focusing on opportunities for industrial collaboration, technology transfer, and workforce upskilling. Invest UP's pavilion at the Expo is reportedly drawing strong global interest, showcasing Uttar Pradesh's infrastructure readiness, policy support for industries, and its ambitions in the electric mobility sector.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Japanese firm to invest Rs 250 cr in EV component plant in UP
1 2 Lucknow: Japanese firm DENSO Corporation, a global leader in automotive innovation, will invest Rs 250 crore to set up a motor generator manufacturing plant in Gautam Budh Nagar, an official spokesperson said on Wednesday. These components are vital for hybrid and electric vehicles. The announcement followed a strategic meeting between DENSO leadership and the Uttar Pradesh delegation led by Alok Kumar, principal secretary (infrastructure & industrial development) and senior members of Invest UP, at DENSO's global headquarters in Kariya, Aichi, Japan. The delegation from UP is attending the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Led by state finance minister Suresh Khanna, the delegation held wide-ranging discussions with Japanese companies and officials, including an engaging meeting with Osaka Prefectural Assembly leaders Kida Kaoru (vice-chairperson) and Kinjo Katsunori (chairperson). Joined by Invest UP and consulate officials, including Chandru Apar, the dialogue centred on industrial collaboration, technology exchange and youth upskilling, highlighting Uttar Pradesh's growing reputation for its skilled workforce and demographic strength. Meanwhile, Invest UP's pavilion at the Expo continues to draw global attention, spotlighting Uttar Pradesh's world-class infrastructure, pro-business policies and rapidly evolving EV ecosystem. "This milestone marks a new chapter in Uttar Pradesh's emergence as India's hub for future-ready, green investments and deepens Indo-Japanese economic cooperation," the spokesperson said.
Time Out
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Time Out
Sweating for world peace at the Expo saunas
While hot-spring bathing is still Japan's go-to form of wet and sweaty relaxation, Nordic sauna culture has been making massive inroads across the country in recent years. The steam-room boom has even reached Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, where the toughest reservation of them all is neither any of the national pavilions, nor one of the stunning 'signature pavilions' produced by some of the country's brightest scientific minds – it's a sauna. Named 'Taiyo Tsubomi' – roughly 'buds of the sun' – the Expo sauna is a unique take on the Finnish sweat chamber, composed of petal-like air membrane cushions that converge to form a sprout reaching toward the light. Tickets for the 14-person bathing sessions that take place daily are doled out through a devilishly competitive lottery system, and scoring one is considered a minor coup among sauna heads. But whose idea was it to build a high-tech sauna at the Expo, and how does this decidedly laid-back project fit with the World's Fair's message of building a better society for the future? We asked Yuki Nohmura, president of the company behind Taiyo Tsubomi, and got an exclusive look at the in-demand attraction – along with a story of how the cutting-edge materials Nohmura's firm specialises in make some of the Expo's most spectacular sights possible. Steamy rituals, naked connections A cluster of pearly white, translucent structures standing tall on the edge of Osaka Bay, the Taiyo Tsubomi saunas are hidden away in a secluded corner of the Expo's Green World area. Constructed by the Taiyo Kogyo company using ETFE film, a lightweight, durable and energy-efficient resin material, the saunas harmoniously blend natural elements with advanced technology. Bathing in them isn't your average sweat-cool-repeat deal. What goes on inside is best described as a series of rites – 11 consecutive 'actions' that all participants undergo. 'If regular sauna bathing is like ordering à la carte,' says Taiyo Kogyo's Yuki Nohmura, 'our sauna is a multicourse meal.' The idea is to stimulate the senses and encourage connection. 'At the end, all 14 bathers reach a state of reconnection – to themselves, to their fellow participants, to Earth,' explains Nohmura. 'Sauna bathing heightens the senses. Relaxed, you notice things you hadn't paid attention to before – birdsong, the wind, how blue the sky is.' There's a strong spiritual aspect to the Expo sauna experience, with the story of the Japanese sun deity Amaterasu providing the foundation for the 11-part 'ritual'. The core message Nohmura hopes to send with his saunas, however, is more universal. 'I think sauna bathing has the power to further peace,' he says with a smile. 'At the Expo, you get visitors from all over the world – Americans and Russians, Israelis and Palestinians, Indians and Pakistanis. Our sauna offers everyone a place to reconnect, to build ties – and these ties can help bring about peace in the future.' Festival focus While the sauna experiment marks a new avenue for Taiyo Kogyo, the Osaka-based materials company is no stranger when it comes to Expos. On the contrary, Nohmura's firm has been a key player at World's Fairs ever since the first Osaka Expo in 1970, when it helped build and run several pavilions on the sprawling grounds of what is now Expo '70 Commemorative Park. And the company's involvement with global mega-events doesn't stop there: Taiyo Kogyo has long been a fixture in stadium construction for sporting extravaganzas including the World Cup, and is currently part of the team rebuilding the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas to prepare it for hosting matches during the worldwide football showcase's 2026 edition. For Nohmura, these events all have something attractive in common. 'They're all festivals, and at Taiyo Kogyo there's nothing we love more than a good festival,' he says. 'Festivals have the power to bring people together, to excite and to move them.' And some festive fun might be just what Japan – and the world – needs right now. 'An event like the Expo can provide a boost to culture, technology, even society as a whole,' Nohmura argues. 'And since it's one of the world's biggest festivals, you get that cosmopolitan atmosphere. It's an opportunity for people from all over the globe to get to know each other, make friends – and strive for a better future.' Material worlds Nohmura's passion for the Expo is reflected in the extent to which his company is engaged with the ongoing 2025 edition. Besides the Taiyo Tsubomi saunas, Taiyo Kogyo is a major driving force behind structures such as null², the 'signature pavilion' by media artist Yoichi Ochiai. The mirrored exterior of null² vibrates and warps, distorting the viewer's senses. Its striking appearance is made possible by a new sheet-like material developed by Taiyo Kogyo and fitted onto the pavilion by the company's architects and engineers. However, the reflective surfaces of Ochiai's pavilion weren't even the toughest task for the Taiyo Kogyo crew at Expo 2025. 'What we really struggled with was Nishijin-ori,' says Nohmura. This traditional brocade from Kyoto, which covers the clam-like pavilion shared by housing manufacturer Iida Group Holdings and Osaka Metropolitan University, was designed by a master of the centuries-old textile art, but the painstaking work of applying it to a building fell to Taiyo Kogyo. 'Converting a textile intended to be worn by people into a construction material was incredibly tough,' says Nohmura. 'We had to figure out how to make it resistant to the elements while retaining the distinctive matte appearance and texture of Nishijin-ori.' Affixing the textiles to the building's curved surface caused more headache. 'The alignment had to be just right, because even a tiny error would cause the floral pattern to look off on the finished building,' Nohmura says. 'But after many sleepless nights, we managed to make it work.' Days of wonder Having spent all that time behind the scenes in Osaka, Nohmura is the ultimate Expo insider. Despite being in the building business, his favourite part of the massive event isn't any specific pavilion or exhibition – it's the daily programme of 'national days' organised by the participating countries. 'The national days are amazing, since you get to see a different country put on a proper festival every day,' he says. 'They feature top-level artists and performers, and you really get a feel for the organising country's culture.' And don't forget about all the amazing food. 'If I could, I'd like to eat everything [available at the Expo],' Nomura laughs. 'Each country has brought its own chefs over, and they're putting some serious effort into the food. Just eating your way around all the pavilions makes for a great experience.' Pair that with a sauna session, and you've got yourself an Expo day to remember.
Business Times
a day ago
- Business
- Business Times
Hotel Miramar Singapore close to sealing sale at under S$200 million
[SINGAPORE] A deal is said to be in advanced stages of negotiations for a sale of Hotel Miramar Singapore at 401 Havelock Road, near the Singapore River. The pricing for the 344-room hotel, on a site with a balance leasehold tenure of about 41.5 years, is expected to be below S$200 million. The hotel has significant value-add potential, including an opportunity to tap some 100,000 square feet (sq ft) of unutilised gross floor area (GFA), and repositioning the asset to a more upscale product. The Business Times understands that the prospective buyer is Aravest, a carve-out of the private funds business of ARA Asset Management unveiled last year. Aravest is owned by Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing (SMFL) Company units SMFL Mirai Partners (Singapore) and Kenedix. Industry players said Aravest will be teaming up with co-investors for the Hotel Miramar acquisition in Singapore. Aravest is expected to appoint an international hotel chain to manage and rebrand the property. Hotel Miramar Singapore is owned and operated by an eponymous company set up in 1968; its biggest shareholder is a company named Lim Tjhun Seng, which is controlled by two low-profile individuals with the surname Lim. Other shareholders of Hotel Miramar (Singapore) Limited include a few families from Singapore and Indonesia. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Tuesday, 12 pm Property Insights Get an exclusive analysis of real estate and property news in Singapore and beyond. Sign Up Sign Up Savills Singapore executive director of investment sales and capital markets Yap Hui Yee marketed the hotel via a private expression of interest exercise which closed in March. According to industry players, a drawback of the property is that the authorities have turned down a request to top up the site's lease to 99 years. The 16-storey Hotel Miramar is on a 100,528 sq ft site; this is one of three hotel sites along the stretch of Havelock Road sold by the state about 57 years ago on 99-year leasehold tenures starting from February 1968. On the other two neighbouring plots stand Copthorne King's Hotel and Furama Riverfront Singapore (formerly known as Novotel Apollo and Apollo Hotel). The Urban Redevelopment Authority has retained the hotel zoning for the three sites under the Draft Master Plan 2025 unveiled last month. Also left untouched is the 3.5 plot ratio – which refers to the ratio of maximum GFA to site area – for the trio of sites. Industry observers said the authorities probably prefer to maintain flexibility on future plans for the stretch. Private-sector hotel deals on sites with short balance land tenures are not unheard of in Singapore in recent years; typically, buyers would be looking for an attractive yield and/or value-adding opportunities. Last year, Frasers Property sold the 313-room Capri by Fraser Changi City, near the Expo interchange MRT station, for S$171.8 million to a consortium comprising family office Atelier Capital Partners Singapore, TPG Angelo Gordon, Heeton Holdings and Far East Consortium International. The hotel, which has been rebranded Dorsett Changi City Singapore, is part of an integrated project on a site with a balance term of about 45 years at the time. The new owners have begun asset enhancement works to create additional hotel rooms by subdividing some rooms, while still maintaining some of the larger rooms popular with staycationers. Some underutilised space in public areas including the lobby will be converted into revenue-generating space such as restaurants. In late 2023, Viva Land – linked to convicted Vietnamese businesswoman Truong My Lan – sold the former SO/Singapore hotel on a site at 35 Robinson Road with about 47.5 years' balance lease. The property was bought by a consortium that included the Tan family behind Sunray Woodcraft Construction and Mini Environment Service. Mingtiandi reported the price at around S$170 million to S$180 million. Hotel Miramar's guest rooms have an average room size of 26 square metres (about 280 sq ft); the rooms are on levels five to 16 in two towers. The hotel rooms are above a four-storey commercial podium which includes the hotel lobby as well as office and food and beverage/retail units for lease. Behind the commercial podium and two towers is a four-storey carpark block with nearly 200 car parking spaces. The carpark is connected to the hotel towers. The incoming owner is expected to embark on asset enhancement works such as upgrading existing rooms. There is potential to increase the room inventory by tapping around 100,000 sq ft of unutilised GFA to build a new hotel wing – which could be located where the multi-storey carpark is – subject to approvals by the relevant authorities. Another way to increase the room count would be to subdivide some of the existing rooms in the two towers. An industry player said there is scope to uplift the ambience of the hotel by injecting more greenery and having a biophilic design. Appointing an international hotel management chain to rebrand and operate the hotel should improve operational efficiency and revenues. In March last year, ESR Group announced the sale of ARA Asset Management's private funds business in Australia, Singapore, South Korea and the US to the two SMFL units. The consideration was based at an enterprise value of US$270 million. The divestment came two years after ESR completed its buyout of Singapore-based ARA Asset Management, co-founded by Singaporean John Lim and backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing. Additional reporting by Chong Xin Wei
CNA
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Filipino pop group SB19 to perform in Singapore this August
Filipino pop group SB19 will be holding a one-night concert on Aug 24 at the Arena @ Expo. The upcoming show is part of the band's Simula at Wakas world tour, which now heads to Southeast Asia following their sold-out US tour. Tickets are priced from S$98 to S$348 and are available via Sistic. The quintet, made up of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken and Justin, first performed in Singapore in November 2022 as part of their Where You At tour at The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel in Resorts World Sentosa. View this post on Instagram A post shared by SB19 Official (@officialsb19) Since debuting in 2018, SB19 has become one of the most awarded P-pop (Pinoy pop) acts in history and a driving force in Asian music. They have been credited with putting P-pop on the map – making history as the first Southeast Asian act nominated at the Billboard Music Awards. Known for hits like Gento, Maps and Dam, the group has earned top honours including Artist of the Year at the 2024 Philippine's Myx Music Awards, Asia's Boy Group of the Year at the 2025 Music Rank Asian Choice Awards in Japan and wins at the Philippine's Wish 107.5 Music Awards. In 2025, they became the first Filipino group to perform at the Hito Music Awards in Taiwan. Their 2025 concert promises an unforgettable night of high-energy music, synchronised choreography and the signature charisma that has won over fans worldwide.
