Photo/Illutration The logo for the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo is announced at a news conference in Osaka on Aug. 25. Tamotsu Shimada, the representative of Team Inari, right, designed the logo. (Yuki Shibata)

OSAKA--A little weird, a little scary and a little playful, this googly-eyed, doughnut-shaped design stood out among nearly 6,000 submissions vying to represent the Osaka Kansai Expo.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, which operates the Osaka Kansai Expo, announced Aug. 25 that it selected the vivid red design as the Expo’s official logo for its humor and originality.

Tamotsu Shimada, 55, who runs a local design office, created the logo with his team.

He said the red circles and ellipses represent cells, the basic building blocks of life, and that he expressed the “brilliance of life” in the design by having different cell shapes connect to each other in a ring.

Shimada recalled being shocked the first time he saw the stunning Tower of the Sun at the 1970 Osaka Expo when he attended. He said it was his dream to create something just as strong.

“I always wanted to create a powerful and original work like (world-renowned artist) Taro Okamoto did,” he said, speaking at the news conference announcing the logo design. “I am delighted that our logo will become the face of the Expo.”

Five final candidates had been selected from 5,894 submissions across Japan.

The logo will be widely used for promoting the Expo.

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