GLOOM ON DISPLAY
World Expo 2025 opens in Japan amid rising global tensions and economic uncertainty
The World Expo 2025 opened in Osaka on Sunday to celebrate the start of the six-month event which will run from April 13 to Oct 13.
Participants from more than 160 countries, regions and organizations are showcasing their futuristic exhibits inside about 80 pavilions of unique architecture.
Organizers expect 28 million visitors through mid-October, though ticket sales have been slow, with about 9 million sold in advance — well short of an initial target of 14 million.
The 2025 version opens under a cloud dark enough to cast a shadow over the 390-hectare grounds on the reclaimed Yumeshima, a former dumping ground for industrial waste.
The World Expo's mission is to bring people together, albeit with an acknowledgment that humanity is more divided than at any time, The Guardian said. It opens in the wake of trade tensions and fears of a global economic downturn sparked by the United States' tariffs.
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba compared the global tensions to a "national crisis" and said Trump's tariffs, especially the 25 percent duty on automobiles, would be a blow to all industries and to Japan's economy.
Sachiko Yoshimura, head of the expo's global communications, said: "I think the timing is actually quite fitting." She hoped the holding of the expo could eventually help to address the divisions in the world.
Sou Fujimoto, the expo's architectural mastermind, conceded the event was opening at a time when minds are focused on conflicts, real and commercial.
"The whole global situation is very unstable," he told CNN. But he added: "I believe this is a really precious opportunity to show so many countries can come together in one place and think about our future together."
However, the pavilions — and Fujimoto's sustainable architecture — will be dismantled later this year to make way for Japan's first casino.
Expo highlights
Many visitors carried Myaku-Myaku mascots or wore clothes matching its colors — red, blue and white — to get into the mood.
The imaginary creature Myaku-Myaku was born from the fusion of cells and water in a small spring in the Kansai region, organizers say.
The character can transform into various shapes and is good at "finding a rainbow after the rain", which carries the meaning of hope amid global tensions.
"Creating a future society for our lives" is the main theme of this expo. Exhibits of cutting-edge technology, such as robots and flying cars, as well as pop culture, are among the highlights.
"Pavilions all look amazing," said Laurel Sylvester from New Zealand, visiting with her husband and two children.
Her family is interested in ocean sustainability and planned to visit the Blue Ocean Dome. She said the boys are "super excited to have their photo with the (big Gundam) robot and some of the interesting tech things that are going on."
A small artificial heart made from induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS, demonstrated a heartbeat at a Japanese healthcare pavilion.
China's highlights include side-byside displays of lunar soil samples collected by China's Chang'e missions, the Jiaolong deep-sea submersible experience capsule and next-generation humanoid robots.
Agencies Via Xinhua
