Expo Osaka 2025 opens the doors to the public – Observer

The Osaka 2025 Expo in Japan opened the doors to the public this Sunday, with the participation of 158 countries, including Portugal, and the forecast of attracting about 28 million people over the next six months.

Despite the rain that fell in the morning, an hour before the doors opened, a crowd was a line to enter the room, located in Yumeshima, an artificial island erected in Osaka Bay, the Spanish news agency EFE noted.

Equipped with umbrellas and rains, the public began to enter from 09h00 (01h00 in Lisbon), after the opening ceremony.

Expo, which runs until October 13, has the theme of “drawing the societies of the future to our lives” and is expected to attract about 28 million visitors, of which 3.5 million are foreigners, according to the organization.

Studies estimate that the economic impact of world exposure reaches between two and 2.9 billion of yen (about 12.27 to 17.6 billion euros). This is an important injection of money for the fourth largest economy in the world, which is discussed with the reduction of domestic consumption due to the acceleration of inflation, as well as the impact of the tariff trade war began by the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

The event, according to EFE, has so far generated a modest interest among the Japanese population, after a series of negative news, such as the high costs or delays in the construction of some national pavilions.

Portuguese participation in the exhibition has as its theme “Ocean: Blue Dialogue” and has the involvement of more than 150 companies, associations, municipalities and national artists.

The Portugal Pavilion was designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, winner of the International Contest for this purpose, which raised some controversy, namely with criticism from the Order of Architects, for not being a Portuguese.

Portugal’s official mascot in the exhibition will be called UMI-which means Japanese ocean-a seahorse, which, according to the prime minister, said Luís Montenegro, is “a beautiful choice to mark the element that turned on Portugal and Japan about 500 years ago”.

The president of the Portugal Agency for Investment and Foreign Trade (AICEP) said last week that “there is a sea of ​​opportunities” that Portugal and Japan can develop together, under the Osaka Expo.

“Portugal, of course, makes a major investment in the Osaka exhibition and, in addition to publicizing the Portuguese culture and tradition, the goal is also to reap the economic results that this exhibition can produce to Portugal,” said Ricardo Arroja, who spoke to journalists at the end of the Portugal’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka, which took place at the entity’s headquarters.

The Portugal General Commissioner at Expo2025 Osaka stated in January that the global investment of operation “is 21 million euros” and is expected to reach or exceed the 1.4 million visitors of the Portuguese Pavilion.

“There are goals for what we intend to have in Japan. For example, we expect to have or exceed 1.4 million visitors in our pavilion,” said Joana Gomes Cardoso.