NTT Achieves World's First Real-Time, International Co-Production Using IOWN All-Photonics Network

TOKYO & OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At Expo 2025, NTT Corporation (NTT) debuted “CHO KABUKI Powered by IOWN,” a theater performance synchronizing live and virtual performers in Osaka, Japan and Taipei City, Taiwan using the NTT Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) All-Photonics Network (APN). The performances occurred on May 24 and May 25 utilizing the world's first International IOWN APN, activated by NTT and Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (Chunghwa Telecom) in August 2024.

Through the IOWN APN, the movements of performers in Taiwan were transmitted in real time to Japan, where they were synchronized with performers at the Osaka Expo site to create a unified production—as if the distant performers were sharing the same stage.

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“CHO KABUKI Powered by IOWN” tells the story of Princess Miku (performed by Hatsune Miku) and Tadanobu (performed by Shidō Nakamura), who battle the Azure Dragon while traveling through the legendary Thousand Cherry Blossoms that span from the Age of Gods to the present day. Through the IOWN APN, the movements of performers in Taiwan were transmitted in real time to Japan, where they were synchronized with performers at the Osaka Expo site to create a unified production—as if the distant performers were sharing the same stage in-person.

In addition, the performance enabled audience participation through the detection of penlights using cross-modal search technology. By analyzing and quantifying the swing of audience members’ penlights in real-time, the performance integrated spectators into the efforts to save Princess Miku.

Prior to the performances, NTT utilized its digital twin technology (AnotherMe®), AI and its proprietary cross-lingual speech synthesis technology to create a virtual copy of Kabuki actor Shidō Nakamura. This multilingual “Shidō Twin,” capable of speaking in languages including Japanese, English and Chinese, guided visitors to the venue and provided an overview of how to use designated earphones to enjoy the Kabuki performance.

“CHO KABUKI Powered by IOWN” was sponsored by NTT and produced by NTT, Shochiku Co., Ltd. and Dwango Co., Ltd., with special cooperation from Chunghwa Telecom.

About the IOWN APN

The IOWN APN seeks to maximize the efficiency and performance of long-distance data transfer by eliminating optical-electronic-optical conversions along the transmission path. It aims to achieve three key performance targets: a 100x increase in power consumption efficiency, a 125x increase in transmission capacity and 200x lower latency than conventional systems.

The APN is one of three core components of the IOWN Initiative to enable a smarter, connected world built on photonics-based technologies by 2030. In addition to the APN, IOWN aims to realize advanced Digital Twin Computing and a Cognitive Foundation to unlock the full potential of AI, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT).

IOWN is supported by the IOWN Global Forum, a non-profit organization established in 2020 by founding members NTT, Intel and the Sony Group that has grown to include more than 150 member companies and organizations.

The NTT Pavilion Experience at Expo 2025

The theme of the NTT Pavilion at Expo 2025 is "Parallel Travel," with visitors invited to travel across time and space through the history of the human experience. Powered by IOWN, the pavilion is divided into three zones showing the evolution of communications technologies, from letters and telegrams to the future of communications and connectivity enabled by IOWN. Zone 2 offers a replay of a special live performance by the Japanese band Perfume, which occurred on April 2, 2025 via the IOWN APN. A behind the scenes video of the technology used to realize this performance is available on the NTT Official Channel YouTube page.

For more information about NTT at Expo 2025, please visit: https://group.ntt/en/expo2025

About NTT

NTT contributes to a sustainable society through the power of innovation. We are a leading global technology company providing services to consumers and businesses as a mobile operator, infrastructure, networks, applications, and consulting provider. Our offerings include digital business consulting, managed application services, workplace and cloud solutions, data center and edge computing, all supported by our deep global industry expertise. We are over $92B in revenue and 330,000 employees, with $3.6B in annual R&D investments. Our operations span across 80+ countries and regions, allowing us to serve clients in over 190 of them. We serve over 75% of Fortune Global 100 companies, thousands of other enterprise and government clients and millions of consumers.