With Sunday marking six months until the opening of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, concerns persist about whether the construction of pavilions and other facilities will be completed in time, Kyodo News reported.
The construction of many of the pavilions has fallen behind schedule, raising concerns that some may not be completed by the opening. I Photo: Expo2025 大阪·関西万博 Facebook
Achieving the organizers' target of 28.2 million visitors—1.3 times the number at Expo 2005 in Aichi, central Japan—is key to covering the construction and operation costs of the event to be held on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, from April 13 through October 13.
However, the construction of many of the pavilions has fallen behind schedule, raising concerns that some may not be completed by the opening.
A plan to operate flying taxis, considered one of the event's highlights, has been dropped after all four operators gave up on carrying passengers in their electric aircraft due to safety challenges, adding to worries about ticket sales.
Over 7 million tickets have been sold as of October 6, according to the organizers—half of the 14 million advance tickets targeted—but some officials from participating companies express pessimism about further sales, Mainichi Japan also reported.
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