Opening Ceremony Held for Osaka Expo

Osaka, April 12 (Jiji Press)--An opening ceremony was held on Saturday for the 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka, which opens on Sunday for a 184-day run.

“The world is facing a crisis of various divisions,” Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a speech at the ceremony. “I truly hope that interactions among (participating) countries and visitors will be promoted throughout the event, and that the world will be connected again.”

Under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the event will propose solutions to achieve the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

A total of 158 countries and regions are participating in the Expo, and the cumulative number of visitors is expected to reach about 28.2 million. Its economic benefits are estimated at 2.9 trillion yen.

The opening ceremony was held in the Shining Hat hall at the Expo venue on Yumeshima, an artificial island. It was attended by some 1,300 people, including Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, as well as Japanese government officials and representatives from participating countries.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]