Expo 2025 Meets Economic Expectations for Two in Three Japanese Companies

Japan Data

Economy
Society

Oct 30, 2025

Two in three Japanese companies said that the Expo 2025 event held over six months in Osaka had brought the expected economic benefits, or exceeded them.

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai came to a close on October 13 after six months of operations. From October 9 to 14, Teikoku Databank conducted a survey of Japanese companies to find out whether it had brought the expected economic benefits. Among the 1,058 companies that responded to the survey, 23.4% said that the result “exceeded expectations,” while 44% said it “met expectations,” so that two in three thought the event brought some benefits.

According to a survey conducted in April, prior to the opening of Expo 2025, only 43.5% of companies expected a positive economic effect, which was much lower than the post-event evaluation. Moreover, when the social and economic effects of Expo 2025 are calculated together, the average evaluation of the event stands at 72.2 points out of a scale of 100 points.

Before the event, there were concerns about the number of potential visitors and the financial results. According to the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, general attendance reached 25.6 million. This fell short of the initially projected 28.2 million, but on the financial side a surplus of ¥23 to ¥28 billion is expected.

By region, the highest proportion of companies reporting a positive effect from the event can be found in Kansai, the host region, at 81.3%. This was followed by Kyūshū, Shikoku, and Chūgoku, indicating a stronger evaluation in western Japan. Meanwhile, in eastern Japan, there was less enthusiasm among companies, including a hotel and inn operator in Saitama Prefecture that experienced a decrease in overnight stays among leisure travelers during the Expo, and a manufacturer of transport-related machinery in Nagano Prefecture that saw no knock-on effect from the event for secondary industries.

Other opinions expressed by representatives of companies questioned whether a one-time successful event can translate into sustainable regional development and industrial revitalization, such as the chemical wholesaler in Osaka Prefecture that expressed “doubts about the benefits from a medium- to long-term perspective.”

Data Sources

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Reuters.)

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