TOKYO When Osaka won the bid in 2018 to host the 2025 World Expo, many of the city's residents were ecstatic, with some expressing the hope that the six-month extravaganza would help with the revitalisation of their Kansai region.
Now, just 16 months before the event opens, public support has flagged. Preparations for it are running way behind schedule due to construction delays and there are massive cost overruns.
The fact that Japan's last major event the 2020 Tokyo Games has resulted in corruption convictions has hurt domestic appetite for global events and raised questions over whether Japan has what it takes to pull off a scandal-free affair.
There are a myriad reasons for the problems that beset the 2025 Expo's preparations, some domestic, including political and economic ones, and others external and beyond the control of the organisers.
The organisers began advance ticket sales on Nov 30 for the tourism jamboree that will be held from April 13 to Oct 13, 2025, on the man-made Osaka Bay island of Yumeshima, where Japan is also due to open its first integrated resort in 2030.
Around 160 countries and regions, including Singapore, will participate, according to the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.
About 60 foreign governments intend to build their own pavilions for the Expo, though only half of them have secured construction companies. While construction of these pavilions was expected to have begun by July 2023, not a single brick has been laid.
This hold-up has been attributed to delays in the submission and approval of blueprints to build temporary structures, as well as a difficulty in securing construction companies amid a labour shortage.
Denne historien er fra December 11, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
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Denne historien er fra December 11, 2023-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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