This year will be an important one for Osaka: Japan’s second city will host the World Expo, which is set to open for six months on April 13. It is no secret that the Expo has faced challenges thus far: delays in construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, inflationary pressures resulting in cost increases of raw materials leading to a near-doubling of the event’s budget, and sluggish tickets sales have contributed to a slew of bad press in the lead-up. These compounding issues also help explain the lack of enthusiasm within Japan. A recent survey outlined that only about 35 percent of Japanese people asked were intending to go to the World Expo, below the 55 percent targeted by the event’s organizers. 

Osaka has hosted the Expo twice before, in 1970 and 1990, with the 1970 affair in particular occupying a special place in many local residents’ hearts, as it served to showcase the return of an economically powerful Japan to the world during the country’s post-war boom. That Expo attracted over 64 million visitors, a number that the 2025 edition will almost certainly fail to match. The organizers are aiming for just over 28 million visitors.

Despite these struggles, Expo 2025 still has the potential to produce tangible regional and national benefits. First, the worst-case scenario, a delay, has been avoided. The construction of the Expo has progressed and will be completed on time. The recent opening of the Yumeshima subway stop, which connects the city center to the artificial island that serves as the Expo’s grounds, was an important symbolic step underscoring Osaka’s readiness. Japan’s ongoing tourism boom has benefitted Osaka as well, which has seen

© The Diplomat