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% of Japanese people asked were intending to go to the World Expo, below the 55% 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 postwar 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.
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