2025 World Expo in Osaka to Close Mon. Evening

Osaka, Oct. 13 (Jiji Press)–The 2025 World Exposition in the city of Osaka, western Japan, which has attracted more than 25 million general visitors, is set to end its 184-day run at 10 p.m. Monday. At the international event held on the artificial island of Yumeshima with the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” pavilions, including those set up by countries from around the world, exhibited state-of-the-art technologies and unique cultures. This was the first World Expo in Japan since the 2005 Expo in the central prefecture of Aichi. According to preliminary data, the cumulative number of visitors to the Expo in the Osaka Prefecture capital stood at 25.29 million as of Sunday, surpassing some 22.05 million for the Aichi Expo and compared with about 64.22 million for the 1970 World Expo, held in the city of Suita, Osaka. A closing ceremony was held at the Shining Hat hall at the Expo venue Monday afternoon, with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves as honorary chairman of the Expo, saying in an address: “We were able to create a wonderful Expo by valuing solidarity over division and tolerance over confrontation. The Expo marked the beginning of a new Japan and also led to regional revitalization.” Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, honorary president of the Expo, and Crown Princess Kiko, also attended the ceremony. The Crown Prince said, “It is very meaningful that we had an opportunity to think together about how to resolve the common challenges facing humanity.” Also at the ceremony, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) handed its flag to a representative of Saudi Arabia, which hosts the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh. An Osaka Expo declaration, adopted Monday, said that at a time when the international community faces “diverse challenges and growing uncertainty about the future,” participating countries, the host nation and visitors from around the world “co-created the Expo, conveying the message ‘unity in diversity’ as embodied in the Grand Ring.” “In an age of division, the Expo connected different cultures in a single space, creating a captivating, out-of-the-ordinary experience where new diplomatic, business, academic and cultural exchanges took place,” the declaration also said. The Grand Ring is a huge wooden structure with a circumference of about 2 kilometers and the symbol of the Osaka Expo. The Osaka Expo, which opened April 13, was participated by 158 countries and regions, and seven international organizations. Sales of advance tickets for the Osaka Expo were sluggish due to the initial lack of momentum for the six-month international event, totaling about 9.7 million, below the target of 14 million set by the organizer, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. But sales started to turn up during and after the Golden Week holiday period in Japan between late April and early May, thanks to many positive reviews by visitors. Cumulative sales of tickets surpassed 22 million as of early October, far more than 18 million set by the Expo association as the event’s break-even point. During preparations, the estimated venue construction costs were revised up twice, and the construction of some foreign pavilions were delayed. These factors caused concerns that the Osaka Expo might not be held as planned. Backed by the growing popularity, however, the Expo operations will likely result in a surplus of about 23 billion to 28 billion yen, the association said Tuesday last week. How to use the surplus will be discussed by an expert panel to be set up by the Japanese government. On Sunday, the BIE held an award ceremony for pavilions. Among large pavilions, Saudi Arabia, the host of the 2030 World Expo, was given Gold Award in the Architecture & Landscape division. The Italy Pavilion, which often saw a long line of visitors thanks to exhibits including works of art, was granted Gold Award in the Theme Development division. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]