The vote by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) returns the event to the city 55 years after the 1970 Osaka Expo, which drew 64 million visitors and is regarded as one of the most successful expos ever held.
Japanese city Osaka won the rights to host the 2025 World Expo on Friday (November 23), beating out rivals Yekaterinburg in Russia and the Azerbaijan capital of Baku, during voting in Paris.
The vote by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) returns the event to the city 55 years after the 1970 Osaka Expo, which drew 64 million visitors and is regarded as one of the most successful expos ever held.
The six-month event will be held on the man-made island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay from May 3 to November 3, and is expected to draw visitors to the wide Kansai region to neighbouring cities of Kyoto, Nara and Kobe, Japan Times reported.
Advanced technologies, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, will be showcased, in line with the 2030 United Nations sustainable development goals in health and welfare, especially in ageing societies.
The expo is expected to draw nearly 28 million visitors, with new transportation links to be built in Yumeshima at an estimated cost of ¥125 billion (US$1.10 billion).
The central government, Osaka Prefecture and the city of Osaka, and the Kansai business community, are each expected to pay about ¥40 billion.