Osaka Expo Visitors Top 2005 Aichi Expo Attendance

Osaka, Sept. 29 (Jiji Press)–The cumulative number of visitors to the 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka has reached some 22.2 million, already topping total attendance at the 2005 Expo in Aichi Prefecture, preliminary data showed Monday. A total of 22,277,717 people had visited the Osaka Expo as of Sunday, about two weeks before its close, according to the data from the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. On Saturday, the cumulative number stood at 22.07 million, more than some 22.05 million visitors for the Aichi Expo in central Japan. The ongoing event, which opened April 13 for a six-month run, initially struggled to attract people due to a lack of momentum, with the daily number of visitors falling short of 100,000. Visitor figures later began to increase gradually, thanks to a number of positive reviews on social media. More than 200,000 people visited daily for 17 consecutive days to Sunday. The increase in visitors has led to crowding at the Expo venue and people forming long lines in front of pavilions and goods stores, making it necessary for the organizer to put measures to address the congestion in place. Another challenge for the association has been dealing with people who may be unable to enter the Expo venue despite having tickets. While reservation slots are almost full through the final day of the event, the association does not plan to offer refunds for tickets. On Saturday, the association introduced a system in which unused advance tickets can be exchanged for same-day tickets that allow holders to enter the venue after noon. With only hundreds of such same-day tickets available per day, however, many people will be unable to make exchanges. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]