Wooden statues of the monks Jianzhen and Kukai will be on display at the Shanghai Museum for about two months during the 2010 World Expo as a sign of the friendship between the two nations.

Jianzhen and Kukai were viewed as friendship ambassadors for China and Japan.

Jianzhen, a Chinese monk (688-763), traveled to Japan to promote Chinese religion after several failed attempts, while Kukai (774-835), a Japanese monk took part in a expedition to China and learned Buddhism and Chinese culture.

The statues will stay in Shanghai from September 29 to November 23, 2010.

Japan has confirmed that its national pavilion day will be June 12, and will be marked with special Japanese performances.

The Japan Pavilion, on a 6,000-square-meter plot, will be the largest pavilion ever built by Japanese government. Capable of accommodating 1,500 people at once, the pavilion will be divided into three parts dedicated to the past, present and future. A complete tour of the Japan Pavilion will take 60 minutes.

Japan will highlight the role of advanced ecological technology in helping people achieve a more comfortable life with its "breathing organism" pavilion.

(Source: Official Website of World Expo Shanghai 2010)