The Expo 2025 opened on Sunday in Osaka, Japan, promoting future technologies and global harmony amid a world “facing divisions.”
Belgium is set to showcase its medical and vaccine expertise, with its pavilion inauguration scheduled for Wednesday, featuring DJ Buscemi and renowned Belgian doctor and former UN official Peter Piot.
Journalists from AFP reported that few visitors have arrived so far, under gloomy weather conditions.
Expo 2025, held on the artificial island of Yumeshima (“dream island”) until 13 October, follows the impactful 1970 edition in Osaka during Japan’s economic boom.
First organised in 1851, World Expos, including six held in Belgium, allow countries to compete through pavilion architecture and cultural, technical, and craft displays. The 1958 Expo in Brussels left the legacy of the Atomium.
Three years after the Dubai Expo, Osaka’s theme is “the society of the future,” emphasising artificial intelligence and space exploration.
Issues with online ticket sales and lukewarm interest among Japanese citizens, reflected in lacklustre opinion polls, illustrate the challenges faced.
To date, only 8.7 million tickets have been sold in advance, falling short of the 14 million hoped for, and the target is 28 million visitors over six months.
