The opening ceremony of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, western Japan, will be held on Saturday. The doors swing open to the public the following day.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, Crown Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, as well as Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru will attend the ceremony. The Emperor will deliver an address.
The expo runs for six months on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka City. The theme is “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.” There are 158 countries and regions and seven international organizations taking part.
More than 140,000 people are expected to visit on Sunday.
Construction costs were initially projected at 125 billion yen, or about 870 million dollars. But the figure has been revised upward to as much as 1.64 billion dollars.
The increase is attributed to surging material prices and design changes to the Grand Roof, which is one of the event’s centerpieces. The bill will be split between the central government; Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City; and the private sector.
Ticket revenue is supposed to cover much of the running costs. But organizers say they have only sold 11 million in advance, which is below their target of 14 million.
There are 42 pavilions built by participating countries. But Nepal’s is unlikely to be ready in time for Sunday.
AloJapan.com