From METI website:

Designs by Oki SATO in Combination with Traditional Craftsmen’s Techniques – Cool Japan Design Gallery –

At Expo Milano 2015, the Cool Japan Design Gallery is to be established as one of the exhibitions at the Japan Pavilion, featuring traditional crafts which are created in collaboration between master craftsmen from every region in Japan and Mr. Oki SATO, a world-famous designer. Designating the year 2015 when the Expo is to be held as “the First Year for Promoting Craftsmen’s Techniques to the World”, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will showcase traditional crafts globally in a more proactive manner for the five years leading up to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

1. Expo Milano 2015 and the Japan Pavilion

With participation of approx. 140 countries and international organizations, the 2015 Universal Exhibition, Milan 2015(hereinafter referred to as Expo Milano 2015) will be held in Milan, Italy for 184 days, from May 1 through October 31. During the Expo, a variety of appealing pavilions will be exhibited under the theme of “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.” The Government of Japan is to showcase the Japan Pavilion, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) and METI as organizers, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as a sub-organizer, and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) as a participating organization.

2. Exhibition of Japanese traditional crafts at the Japan Pavilion of Expo Milano 2015.

In the Japan Pavilion of the Expo, an exhibition zone named Cool Japan Design Gallery will be established in collaboration between Mr. Oki SATO and traditional Japanese master craftsmen, featuring traditional crafts such as Japanese-style tableware that is indispensable for Japanese foods, as one of the best examples of Cool Japan. Traditional crafts such as pottery, porcelain and lacquer ware are elements of Cool Japan that have a close relationship with food culture as well as regional resources scattered across every prefecture. Taking advantage of the Expo, traditional crafts and the craftsmen’s skills that bolster such crafts will be introduced to the world.
3. Japan Traditional Crafts Milano Square

Taking Expo Milano 2015 as an opportunity to call global attention to Japanese traditional crafts, the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries is to open the Japan Traditional Crafts Milano Square in Milan through the support of METI for about six months during the Expo. This will be the first time that Japan has established an overseas base to exhibit about 200 kinds of Japan’s diverse traditional crafts at the same time for the fairly lengthy period of about six months. The depth of craftsman’s skills and the appeal of these skills, together with the Cool Japan Design Gallery in the Expo Milano 2015 Japan Pavilion, will be showcased to the world.
Release date

March 27, 2015
Division in charge

Information on Expo Milano 2015
International Exhibitions Promotion Office, Commerce, Distribution and Industrial Safety Policy Group
Information on Japan Traditional Crafts Milano Square and Traditional Crafts Traditional Craft Industry Office, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau