Osaka 2025 World Expo: Organisers hope to attract more European visitors

With just under five months to go, preparations are well underway for the Osaka World Expo 2025.

Delegates from around the world met in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the latest developments and to find solutions to the challenges encountered by the organisers.

The World Expo is one of the oldest and largest international events held every five years since 1851.

Next year, more than 160 countries will present their latest innovations and technologies in Osaka.

The theme for the upcoming World Expo is "Designing Future Society for Our Lives."

An important topic that could inspire other countries to tackle future problems such as ageing population and large urbanisation, according to Dimitri Kerkentzes, the Secretary General of the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE).

"We need to start dealing with these issues as a global community. One country is not enough to act, we need to act in unison. I’m hoping to see some new thought processes and new innovations in Osaka. I hope we’re going to see where the world will go in the next ten to 15 years," he told Euronews.

But with only 7,3 million tickets sold as of November, Japanese authorities hope to bolster their communication strategy to attract more European visitors.

"There are many exhibits from Europe on various issues such as green energy, climate change, etc. We would love to show these to Europeans. The communication aspect will be one of the main challenges we will be facing," said Hirofumi Yoshimura, Governor of Osaka.

However, Dimitri Kerkentzes insisted ticket sales will sharply increase closer to the date of the opening of the Osaka Expo.

The governor of Osaka also announced Ukraine will be participating in next year’s expo despite Russia’s full-scale invasion.