Growing Concerns in Osaka: Lawmakers and Business Owners Voice Uncertainty Ahead of the Expo

Revealing the lack of drawing power

“I can honestly say that I have nothing but concerns. Just looking at ticket sales and the state of preparations, I can’t say otherwise.”

A legislator from the Osaka Restoration Association lamented the rapidly approaching Expo in this way.

With less than a month until the opening of the “Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025” on April 13, similar concerns are echoed not only by this legislator but also in the voices from the city council, local communities, and business operators.

“The progress is close to the worst imaginable, and within the party, many are asking, ‘Is this really going to be okay?’ The only saving grace, if you can call it that, is that due to the lack of excitement, only a limited number of media outlets are critically investigating the situation. With the Upper House election coming up this year, it’s a real headache,” said the same legislator.

On March 12, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition announced that approximately 8.21 million advance tickets had been sold. Later, they stated that while the initial goal was 14 million tickets, they were on track to reach 10 million. However, the response from sponsoring companies has been harsh.

An employee of a company participating in the Expo revealed:

“From quite early on, there was an announcement about ‘inviting employees of sponsoring companies.’ However, when that wasn’t enough to fill the numbers, they expanded the invitation to include family and relatives. I was shocked and thought, ‘Is this really okay?’ But even with free invitations, very few people were interested. It made me question whether an event with such low drawing power truly has any value.”

Concerns about ticket sales have also been raised within the Liberal Democratic Party. A member of the Osaka branch of the LDP shared:

“In early February, when Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura (49) had a direct discussion with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (68), many within the party had negative reactions to his statements. Former Expo Minister Eiko Jimi (49) had repeatedly insisted on the need for same-day ticket sales and physical paper tickets in addition to digital ones. However, Governor Yoshimura and the Expo Association completely dismissed the idea. And now, at this late stage, he is presenting it to the Prime Minister as if it were his own idea. Frankly, it’s exasperating.”