The specimens and materials collected from every part of the world by the “Japan Expo ’70 World Ethnological Materials Research & Collection Mission” (Expo ’70 Ethnological Mission) from 1968 through 1969, as well as the letters and photos related to the collection, which are owned by the National Museum of Ethnology, will be released for a special exhibition. The exhibition will depict aspects of ethnic cultures and local communities from the late 1960s through the 1970s, when the world changed drastically, through a presentation of local collecting activities and the collection itself.

At that time, the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union was escalating. Driven by the Vietnam War in 1965, the world began to seek a new order and framework of values. In addition, a need arose to consider the effects of developed countries’ rapid economic growth on the global environment. In Japan, the anti-authority struggles of campus disputes began to decline, and people’s awareness of society shifted to focus on building a new social structure, where top priority was given to economic performance. “Osaka Expo” with the theme of “Progress and Harmony for Mankind” was the first exposition in Japan that was planned against such a historical backdrop. The major objective of this exhibition is to look back and glimpse the world shown during the EXPO at that time.

We are planning to offer an exhibition to question anew the need for the 50-year-old ethnographic collection at the present time, where people, things, and information are developing globally at an unprecedented volume and speed. We also ask why the effort was made to collect global items at a historical turning point 50 years ago and plan a scheme of the museum of ethnology to store and utilize the academic materials later. The collecting activities of the Expo ’70 Ethnological Mission was unique in covering the whole world during the same period of time. We emphasize the fact that it was the first attempt by Japanese researchers to depict the world prior to the establishment of the National Museum of Ethnology curating an international exhibition.

This will provide a great opportunity to discover new things by learning from the past, in considering the role of the Expo as a catalyst to revitalize civilization in the 21st century. The present time is drastically different from the 20th century, in population, economic structures, political environments, and other factors, beginning to get exhausted by globalization having seemed to harmonize the world.