Exclusive Sneak Peek at Osaka/Kansai Expo: Impossible to Complete in Time
A worker at the site sadly confesses, "We are working around the clock.
Around-the-clock construction work has been underway since February
Here are six photos taken in mid-March, less than a month before the opening of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, showing the interior of the venue.
In the Type A pavilions, which are built independently by each participating country (Brazil initially had a Type A pavilion but has since transitioned to Type X, with Japan taking over its construction), scaffolding was still in place and the surroundings were unpaved, clearly indicating that they were far from being completed.
The opening is set for April 13. One worker involved in the pavilion construction at the Expo venue laughed wryly and said, “There’s no way we’ll make it in time.”
“By March 10, only eight out of the 47 countries’ Type A pavilions were completed. They plan to finish the parts visible to visitors on time, but will continue working to complete the rest during the event. The organizers, probably feeling the pressure, started 24-hour, three-shift construction work in February.”
The Expo venue, Yumeshima, is an artificial island reclaimed from the sea, and there have long been concerns about issues such as liquefaction, soil contamination, and land subsidence. So why is the construction so delayed?
“Even by February of last year, they were still working on ground improvement. On top of that, regulations on overtime for the construction industry were introduced in April. It became clear that the schedule for Type A construction was too tight to meet the deadline, so many large general contractors with manpower and financial resources refused to take on the work.
As a result, most of the Type A pavilions were contracted to local small and medium-sized construction companies. While we have relatively enough workers, some contractors are lamenting that we can’t get workers because we can’t offer decent pay. Some pavilions even had foreign technicians and workers brought in from their home countries, and some people didn’t even wear helmets. The safety awareness differs by country.
The Type A pavilions are being built by the participating countries themselves. The construction companies expected that the budget would be abundant, given that Japan is in a recession and the yen is weak, but in reality, there’s a lot of middleman markup and the budget is tight. On top of that, materials are expensive, which is another reason large companies backed out of the work.”
What exactly is happening in Osaka? In mid-March, the reporter flew to the Expo venue to investigate.
There’s no such thing as labor management
In January of this year, the newly opened Yumeshima Station is located just a short escalator ride from the entrance to the Expo 2025 venue. Despite it being a weekday morning, there were foreign tourists, elderly couples taking pictures of the unfinished venue with their smartphones, and families with children in the area. However, the venue was surrounded by netting, and only authorized personnel were allowed inside.
In the distance, the world’s largest wooden ring, said to be the symbol of the Expo, was visible. This was constructed by a joint venture of major construction firms such as Obayashi Corporation, Takenaka Corporation, and Shimizu Corporation. Although it was completed before the opening, it faced trouble when the embankment was eroded by seawater.
From within the venue, the constant sound of construction could be heard, with construction vehicles and workers coming in and out of entrances. Even the nearby coin parking lot at the Cosmo Square Station was filled with construction-related vehicles by midday.
The worker previously mentioned also lamented:
“In some areas, in the rush to finish, we’ve been told not to report minor injuries because ‘if we stop the work, the progress will be delayed.’ There’s no proper labor management at all.”
Will the construction of the pavilions be completed before the opening? Is the 24-hour construction effort true? The Japan Association for the 2025 World Expo, the organization behind the Osaka-Kansai Expo, provided the following response:
“Regarding certain pavilions, we have received notifications regarding 24-hour operations. We recognize that proper labor management is being implemented for each construction project. As of March 14th, 12 out of the 42 pavilions have been issued completion certificates. We will continue to support the participating countries to ensure the unique designs and attractive exhibits for each pavilion, aiming for a successful opening.”
The day of the opening is drawing near.
From the April 4 and 11, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”
