Halfway through its six-month run on an artificial island built atop a former landfill off the coast of Japan’s second city, the Osaka World Expo is falling short of organisers’ expectations.
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More than 10 million people have visited the expo since its April opening – a symbolic milestone, but short of the pace required to reach the break-even threshold. Organisers estimate that 22 million visitors will be needed by the time the event closes in October for the expo to cover its costs.
While the latest figures were touted as a sign of “stable operations” by the top official overseeing the event, it’s a far cry from the 28 million visitors that were projected in the lead-up to the opening.
“Every day recently we have welcomed more than 100,000 people to the expo,” Hiroyuki Ishige, secretary general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, told reporters on Monday.
Despite acknowledging the shortfall, Ishige was still upbeat, highlighting the “attractive contents” of the expo’s pavilions, which represent 158 countries and regions, as well as exhibitions from seven international organisations.
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