Expo preparations enter final stretch as International Participants meet

With less than 90 days until the opening of Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, participating countries gathered this week in Himeji (Hyogo Prefecture) for the final International Participants Meeting (IPM) before the World Expo opens.

During the two-day meeting, representatives of the Expo's more than 160 International Participants (countries and international organisations) discussed final preparations for the Expo alongside Expo organisers, Japanese officials and representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).

With large-scale construction mainly completed, the IPM focused primarily on exhibition content, pavilion operations, event programming and logistics. Dedicated sessions were also held on the subject of National Day ceremonies and associated events, as well as activities related to Theme Weeks.

During the course of the six-month Expo, numerous events will take place each day, including thematic seminars, technological showcases, art exhibitions, and live music and theatre. Events are organised by the Expo Organiser, as well as by International Participants, corporate partners, and by members of the public through co-creation initiatives.

The meeting also gave International Participants the opportunity to present their pavilion content and messaging to the media, and to exchange with the Producers of the Expo's eight Signature Pavilions. While all pavilions at the Expo take inspiration from the overall theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives", each one will present its own interpretation and offer visitors a unique experience.

As preparations continue at a rapid pace, participants are already gearing up for the trial opening in early April, ahead of the opening ceremony on 12 April. The first visitors will arrive at the site on 13 April, with Organisers expecting a total of 28 million visitors over the course of 184 days. Over seven million tickets have already been sold, with the reservation of special events and certain pavilions - a lottery system that opens three months ahead of the visit - having been launched on 13 January.

Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, the Secretary General of the BIE, stated: "In the weeks between now and the opening, let us continue our collective effort so that this World Expo encourages everyone to reflect on the future and on the necessary decisions we must make to design future society. By working together in the realisation of Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, we are all contributing our part in shaping the future."

Delivering a speech on behalf of Japan's Expo Minister Yoshitaka Ito, the Commissioner-General of Expo 2025 Koji Haneda stated: "The opening of Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan is now less than 90 days away. As hosts, we will work to bring together the knowledge and wisdom of the official participants to realise the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives". I look forward to welcoming numerous visitors from around the world, so that they can discover the best of each other and together create an Expo that will leave a mark to the world."

World Expos, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, are global gatherings of nations addressing universal challenges of our time. These unparalleled global events offer a journey inside a chosen theme through engaging and immersive activities. The most recent World Expo, which closed on 31 March 2022, took place in Dubai, UAE under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future", and received more than 24 million visits. The next World Expo, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, will be open between 13 April and 13 October 2025.