Expo 2025 (2025年日本国際博覧会, 2025-nen Nippon kokusai hakurankai) is an upcoming World Expo organised and sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which will be held in Osaka, Japan. It will take place for six months during 2025, opening 13 April 2025 and closing 13 October 2025. It will be held for 184 days.[2] This will be the third time Osaka hosts a World Expo, having previously hosted Expo 1970 and Expo 1990. The event will return to its traditional 5-year scheduling cycle after the Expo 2020 was delayed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] The projected visitor count is approximately 28 million.[2]
Bidding, selection and ratification of Expo city
Ratification
The registration dossier for Japan's expo containing a detailed plan with proposed operational dates (13 April to 13 October 2025) and legacy plans has been submitted to the BIE for review.[4]
Candidates
On 22 November 2016, France submitted to the BIE its candidature to host World Expo 2025.[5] This first submission launched the bidding process for this Expo by opening the candidate list. All other countries wishing to organise World Expo 2025 had until 22 May 2017 to submit their own bids, after which the project examination phase started.
Baku, Azerbaijan – The Azerbaijani capital entered its candidacy before the deadline[6] under the theme "Developing Human Capital, Building a Better Future".
Osaka, Japan – Osaka made its official bid for the Expo on 24 April 2017[7] with the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives".[8]
Yekaterinburg, Russia – The Russian city entered its candidacy on 22 May 2017[9] under the theme "Changing the World: Innovations and Better Life for Future Generations".
Withdrawn candidates
Paris, France – France, which had been the first to declare its candidacy[10] under the theme "Sharing our Knowledge, Caring for our Planet," withdrew its candidacy on 21 January 2018 due to financial concerns.[11]
Vote
A secret ballot took place to select the winner at BIE's 164th General Assembly on 23 November 2018. The first ballot awarded 85 votes to Osaka, 48 votes to Yekaterinburg and 23 votes to Baku, which meant that Baku was eliminated. The second round ballot resulted in 92 votes for Osaka and 61 for Yekaterinburg.[12]
Themes
The theme for the expo is "Designing Future Society for Our Lives", with sub-themes of "Saving Lives", "Empowering Lives" and "Connecting Lives".[13] The theme "Saving Lives" includes infant vaccinations, sanitation, lifestyle (diet and exercise) and extending lifespans.[13]
The Expo will be held on an artificial island called Yumeshima, located in Osaka Bay, with a view of the Seto Inland Sea. The Pavilion area will be located in the Expo's centre, with waters in the southern part and greenery in the western part of the expo.[22] The following countries will have pavilions present at the Expo:
The directors of the expo were announced on 23 May 2019 and include Hiroyuki Ikeda, Kengo Sakurada, Hirofumi Yoshimura (Governor of Osaka), and Ichirō Matsui (Mayor of Osaka), with Hiroyuki Ishige as the secretary general, and Hiroyuki Takeuchi and Manatsu Ichinoki acting as vice secretaries general.[24]
The current Chairman and Representative Director of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is Masakazu Tokura, Chairman of the Japan Business Federation. He has been the Chairman and Representative Director of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition since June 2021.[25]
