TOKYO REPORT: Momentum for Osaka’s Expo Bid Seen Lacking Strength

August 8, 2018

Tokyo- The Japanese government and the Osaka prefectural and municipal governments are stepping up a joint campaign to host World Expo 2025 in the city.

If elected, Osaka will host the global event for the first time since 1970.

Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui announced a bid to host the exposition in the hope of stimulating economic activity in Japan's western region, called Kansai, and asked Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for cooperation. The central government decided to work for the bid in April 2017.

The expo is planned to be held on Yumeshima, an artificial island in the waterfront area of the city of Osaka, under the theme of "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." Organizers expect 28 million people from 150 participant countries to visit the fair, projecting economic effects at 2 trillion yen or more.

Bureau International des Expositions, a Paris-based intergovernmental organization that supervises world expos, will vote in late November to choose the host country of the 2025 fair. France withdrew its bid in February for financial reasons, leaving Japan, Russia and Azerbaijan as candidate countries. Russia and Azerbaijan hope to host the expo in Ekaterinburg and Baku, respectively.

While Japan is considered leading the two rivals, a senior official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, denied such a view. "There is strong support within BIE for either Russia or Azerbaijan hosting the event for the first time," the official said. An expo has been held in Japan five times.

"Osaka hasn't won support even from half of (BIE) member states yet," a former cabinet minister said.

Matsui announced a set of measures to gain support from developing countries, such as free use of the expo venue, while Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura visited African countries this spring to seek their backing. Lawmakers of both ruling and opposition parties are also strengthening activities to increase support for Japan.

Voting by BIE is greatly affected by popular interest in candidate countries. "Interest is limited to Kansai and its vicinity," an official concerned said. "There even are people who don't know Osaka's bid."

The central government therefore aims to boost public momentum toward the expo in Osaka.

If the expo is brought to Japan, international exchange is expected to be promoted and children's interest in science and technology can be stimulated.

At stake is whether organizers can enhance popular interest by offering dream-inspiring plans and help the attractiveness of Japan and Osaka to be recognized widely, analysts said. Jiji Press