＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
The 1970 Osaka Expo was based on the concept of “human progress and harmony” and featured Taro Okamoto’s Tower of the Sun as its symbolic tower. It was Japan’s first world exposition, and it was a hugely popular and exciting event.
55 years later, in 2025, it has been decided that the second Osaka Expo will be held. The theme is “Designing a future society where life shines,” but is there really any point in hosting an Expo? There are also concerns that the 2025 Osaka Expo is bundled with a plan to host an integrated resort (IR).
In this article, we will consider the pros and cons of hosting the 2025 Osaka Expo.
1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Hosting the World Expo
(1) Advantages
① Infrastructure will be developed.
② Yumeshima, which had been left unfinished due to the Bay Area development, will be effectively utilized.
③ Increased name recognition is expected to increase inbound tourism.
④ It will act as a catalyst for attracting investment from both within and outside Japan.
⑤ Economic ripple effects are expected.
The Japanese government estimates the value at 1.9 trillion yen, Osaka Prefecture estimates it at 2.3 trillion yen, and the Japan Research Institute estimates it at over 2.6 trillion yen.
(2) Disadvantages
① The enormous cost of building the venue would be a waste of taxpayer money.
The construction costs (150-160 billion yen) of the venue are planned to be shared among the national government, local governments, and the private sector. Operating costs (approximately 80 billion yen) are planned to be self-funded through admission fees, advertising, and other sources.
② Concerns about a deterioration in public safety during the event.
Although the IR is expected to be “partially open” during the Expo, there are concerns about a deterioration in public safety.
③ Public transportation is expected to be overcrowded during the event.
④ Concerns about labor shortages.
⑤ Issues with the maintenance costs of remaining facilities and concerns about the IR becoming a “negative legacy.”
6. Issues with the use of the former site.
2. Overview of Expos Held in Japan and Their Subsequent Situation
(1) Expo ’70 (Osaka Expo, Expo ’70) (1970)
① Overview
・Theme: Human Progress and Harmony
・Project Cost: Unknown (It was the first international exposition in history to have a surplus, with an estimated economic ripple effect of 2 trillion yen.)
・Number of Visitors: 64,218,770
Popular pavilions such as the Tower of the Sun, the American Pavilion (which exhibited a moon rock), and the Soviet Pavilion were so crowded that people had to wait in line for hours. The event was even mocked as “the long snake of human patience” and “the cruelty of the Expo.”
② Subsequent Development
Various development plans were considered for the former site, including a business subcenter and a research city, but none of them had a clear plan. Ultimately, the Expo Commemoration Park was created.
The site is home to numerous natural and cultural facilities, sports facilities, and leisure facilities, including the National Museum of Ethnology, the Japan Folk Crafts Museum, Osaka, the Natural and Cultural Gardens, the Japanese Garden, and the Expo Commemorative Stadium. Expoland, an amusement area that was open during the event, closed in 2009, but EXPOCITY opened on its former site in 2015.
(2) Okinawa International Ocean Exposition (Okinawa Ocean Expo) (1975-1976)
① Overview
・Theme: The Ocean – Its Desirable Future
・Project Cost: Unknown (Budget: ¥1.492 billion surplus)
・Number of Visitors: Approximately 3.49 million
② Subsequent Developments
The site is now the Okinawa National Exposition Commemorative Park. The Marine Biological Garden continued to operate as the park’s core facility, and the building was later rebuilt to become the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.
In 2000, the Aquapolis was sold as scrap metal to an American company and towed to Shanghai, China, where it was dismantled.
(3) International Science and Technology Exposition (Tsukuba Expo) (1985)
① Overview
・Theme: Humans, Habitat, Environment, and Science and Technology
・Project Cost: Unknown
・Number of Visitors: 20,334,727
② Subsequent Developments
The site of the main venue was converted into an industrial park (Tsukuba Western Industrial Park), and the remaining sites were used to build the Science Expo Memorial Park and Tsukuba Expo Center.
(4) International Garden and Greenery Exposition (Osaka Flower Expo) (1990)
① Overview
・Theme: Understanding the relationship between flowers, greenery, and human life, aiming to create a rich and fulfilling society for the 21st century
・Project Cost: Unknown
・Number of Visitors: 23,126,934
② Subsequent Status
The “Tree of Life/Tower of Life,” the symbolic tower of “EXPO ’90,” reopened in April 1992 after the end of the Flower Expo as an observation tower at “Tsurumi Ryokuchi Flower Expo Memorial Park.” It was operated by an affiliated organization of the City of Osaka, but its operation as an observation tower ceased at the end of March 2010. In October 2019, it was reported that “Osaka City plans to demolish it.” The decision to demolish it appears to have been made due to its aging and the lack of proposals for its use from private businesses.
(5) 2005 World Exposition, Japan (“EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan” and “EXPO 2005 Nagoya”) (2005)
① Overview
・Theme: The Wisdom of Nature
・Project Cost: 208.5 billion yen (venue construction costs: 145.3 billion yen, operating costs: 63.2 billion yen), with a profit of 12.9 billion yen
・Number of Visitors: 22,049,544
② Subsequent Status
The former site is now used as the “Aichi Expo Memorial Park,” “Aichi Marine Forest Center,” and “Seto Expo Memorial Park.”
3. What is “Expo”?
(1) Definition of “Expo”
“Expo” (or “World Exposition”) is an abbreviation for “International Exposition” (“International Exhibition”), and refers to an exposition officially registered or certified by the Bureau des Expositions et des Expositions (BIE), headquartered in Paris, in accordance with the “International Exhibitions Convention.”
The venue features “pavilions” (temporary buildings, exhibition halls, tents, etc.) from countries, companies, and organizations around the world, divided into several zones, where performances and events such as the announcement of new technologies and services are held.
Expos are broadly divided into two types based on the size of the venue and their theme: “Registered Expos” (formerly known as “General Expos”) and “Certified Expos” (formerly known as “Special Expos”).
The 1970 Osaka Expo, the 2005 Aichi Expo, and the 2025 Osaka Expo are “Registered Expos,” while the 1975-1976 Okinawa Ocean Expo, the 1985 Tsukuba Expo, and the 1990 Osaka Flower Expo are “Certified Expos.”
(2) Purpose of an Expo
According to the International Exhibitions Convention, an Expo is “an event, the primary purpose of which is the education of the public, involving several countries, and which illustrates the means available to mankind in meeting the needs of civilization, or the progress achieved in one or more branches of human activity, or future prospects for those branches.”
In short, the purpose is “to exhibit the cultural and industrial achievements of mankind.” The moving walkway exhibited at the 1970 Osaka Expo is a good example.
(3) History of Expos
The first was the London World’s Fair in 1851. The Eiffel Tower was built for the Paris Expo in 1889. Natsume Soseki visited the Paris Expo in 1900 while studying abroad in the UK.
Registered expos were initially held approximately once every five years, while certified expos were held in the years between. However, since around 1953, they have been held almost annually.