The 2005 World Exposition ended its six-month run Sunday in central Japan's Aichi Prefectureafter providing visitors a chance to access new technologies and attracting millions with exhibits featuring things like humanoid robots and a frozen mammoth from Siberia.

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, honorary president of the export, and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are among the guests attending a closing ceremony Sunday afternoon at the expo's Nagakute main site, 20 km east of Aichi prefectural capitalNagoya. All pavilions will be shut by 9 p.m. following an Expo 2005 Grand Final event in the evening.

Four international organizations and 121 countries, as well as local governments and companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. took part in raising awareness about global environment issues through the 185-day show at their pavilions at the expo.

The total attendance since the March 25 opening is expected to top 22 million visits through Sunday, almost 1.5 times the 15 million target the organizer had aimed for, although still much less than the 64 million recorded at Japan's first World Expo in Osaka in 1970.

Guests and dignitaries from 117 countries and the United Nations have visited Japan for the expo and a total of 110 National Day events were held there.

The Aichi Expo was the first world expo in the 21st century andJapan's first in 35 years since the Osaka Expo. The next World Expo will be held in China's largest commercial metropolis Shanghai in 2010.

Source: Xinhua