Japan's 2025 Osaka Expo draws 5 million visitors in first six weeks
The 2025 Osaka Expo has welcomed 5 million visitors in its first six weeks, organizers say, despite lukewarm enthusiasm for the event ahead of its opening.
A Mars meteorite and a beating artificial heart grown from stem cells are among the displays at the expo, in which more than 160 countries, regions and organizations are participating.
The event opened on April 13 and runs until mid-October, with most of the pavilions encircled by the latticed "Grand Ring," the world's largest wooden architectural structure.
On Monday, the 5 millionth visitor entered the vast waterfront site, organizers said in a statement.
"The number of visitors to the Expo ... increased from 4 million to 5 million in seven days," they said, adding that more visitors were coming "with each passing day."
So far 12.4 million tickets have been sold to the event. Organizers have set a total target of 23 million.
Also known as a World's Fair, the expo phenomenon, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London's 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition.
It is now held every five years in different locations around the globe.
Osaka last hosted the expo in 1970, when Japan was booming and its technology the envy of the world. It attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010.
Opinion polls before Expo 2025 opened showed low levels of public enthusiasm, with analysts saying inflation and high accommodation costs due to a record influx of foreign tourists to Japan could put people off buying tickets.
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