{"id":35133,"date":"2023-12-12T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T10:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/?p=35133"},"modified":"2024-03-11T15:28:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T13:28:16","slug":"exposing-the-challenges-of-expo-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/europeanvalues.cz\/en\/exposing-the-challenges-of-expo-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Exposing the Challenges of Expo 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
One of the most significant events taking place in Japan within the next two years will be the Expo 2025<\/strong>, which will take place in Osaka<\/strong> from April 13 to October 13. Japan\u2019s third largest city will host the famous world exposition for the third time, following up on Expo \u201970<\/strong> and the 1990 International Horticultural Exhibition<\/strong>. The third time is the charm, but it surely will not be easy for this expo to succeed, as the organizers have to deal with challenges including countries withdrawing their participation, pavilion construction delays, skyrocketing costs and limited public support<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p> The history of World\u2019s Fairs goes back to 1791 when the first industrial exhibition took place in Prague<\/strong> to celebrate the sophistication of manufacturing, industry, and agriculture in the Czech lands. Many types of World\u2019s Fairs and exhibitions have since taken place, evolving in nature and form. The World Expo<\/strong> takes place every five years for six months and facilitates the participating countries\u2019 nation branding<\/strong> as they try to build and improve their respective images through national pavilions.<\/p> However, operating a pavilion at the World Expo is usually expensive<\/strong>, which resonates even more strongly these days when countries around the world have to deal with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, high inflation, and the consequences of Russia\u2019s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, which includes an influx of refugees, deteriorating stability of global security environment, the need for increased defense spending, and accelerated transformation of energy infrastructure. In early November, Mexico and Estonia announced their withdrawal from the next expo due to domestic financial issues<\/a>, while 160 countries and regions<\/strong> have confirmed their participation.<\/p> Russia, whose spending on defense and security is set to reach around 40% of its entire budget next year<\/a>, has few financial resources to spare. Not only does the country face fierce Ukrainian resistance, but it also experiences heavy sanctions from democratic countries which significantly reduced their dependence on Russia\u2019s natural resources. Since Japan is also a democracy, it is no surprise that at the end of November, Russia formally canceled its participation in the Osaka expo, officially blaming it on \u201cinsufficient communication\u201d with the host. As the themes of the upcoming expo are \u201cDesigning Future Society for Our Lives\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cSaving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives,\u201d<\/strong> the presence of a Russian pavilion would be highly controversial. \u201cRussia’s invasion of Ukraine is incompatible with the 2025 expo theme of designing a future society for our lives. If the current situation remains unchanged, Russia is not expected to participate in the Osaka Kansai Expo,\u201d said<\/a> Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno.<\/p> Japan also has to address the issue of rising costs<\/strong> of the already delayed constructions<\/strong>, which are currently at \u00a5235 billion<\/a> (the original estimate was \u00a5125 billion). On top of that, constructing the Japan pavilion, implementing security measures, and supporting developing countries\u2019 participation will entail a further \u00a583.7 billion. Thus, these challenges are expected to create a further obstacle\u2013 a continued<\/strong> decline in public support<\/strong> for the Osaka expo, which is already low, with 55.9%<\/strong> of respondents considering the event unnecessary<\/strong> and only 20.3% supporting it. The expo could thus be yet another blow for the Kishida government, whose support rate dropped below 30 percent<\/a> in November, the lowest since he took office in 2021.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is happening? One of the most significant events taking place in Japan within the next two years will be the Expo 2025, which will take place in Osaka from April 13 to October 13. Japan\u2019s third largest city will host the famous world exposition for the third time, following up on Expo \u201970 and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":35135,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[500],"tags":[506],"class_list":["post-35133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-david-toman"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is the broader picture?<\/h2>
Why does it matter?<\/h2>