A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday for construction of two national government pavilions at the 2005 Aichi World Exposition.
The construction, which follows the start of work to build Aichi Prefecture's pavilion last Friday, is slated for completion in December 2004. The six-month expo will open March 25, 2005, on two sites.
The national government's pavilions -- a two-story cocoonlike structure and a three-story column -- will highlight the environment.
The cocoon pavilion is being built in a park in the town of Nagakute, about 15 km east of Nagoya. It will house the world's first video system with a spherical screen.
The columnar pavilion in Seto will portray the traditional culture and lifestyles of rural Japan, and will feature interactive events and recreation areas for visitors.