The unusual red and blue mascot for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka has been named Myaku-Myaku, reflecting hopes that technology and knowledge will be passed down to future generations continuously, or myakumyaku in Japanese.

On Monday, which marked 1,000 days until the start of the event, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said it had chosen the name from more than 33,000 candidates solicited from the public, on the basis that it will “bring the character to life.”

The creature has a blue body with dripping hands, representing water and the ability to shift shapes, according to the mascot’s designers. The five-eyed ring on its head comprises red cells, embodying the “brilliance of life,” they said. The design was unveiled in March.

“The ever-changing mascot has the potential to transform into something else and pass down the great quality of human beings to future generations,” winner Miyu Kawakatsu said of the concept behind her proposal.

Kawakatsu said the repetition of "myaku," or "pulse" in English, underlines the continuance of life.

The ¥300,000 award will be given to Kawakatsu and Hinata Sakuda, who also came up with the same name.

“I also thought that the word ‘pulse’ could express the theme of the expo, which could refer to human interactions as well as international relations,” Sakuda said.

During an event held in Tokyo, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he was hoping “the interest in the 2025 Expo will increase further in not only Osaka and the Kansai region, but also other parts of Japan,” Jiji reported.

The expo will be the sixth such event to be held in Japan and the second to be held in Osaka Prefecture. The exposition will be held on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, from April 13 to Oct. 13, 2025, with 126 countries and regions and eight international organizations currently expected to take part.