Osaka-Kansai Expo Ends after Drawing More Than 25 Million Visitors over 184 Days

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:53 JST, October 13, 2025

OSAKA — The closing ceremony of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo was held on Monday to mark an end to the six-month event on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka.

Japan and 158 countries and regions participated in the Expo, which started on April 13 and ran under the theme “Designing Future Society of Our Lives.”

Crown Prince Akishino, who served as honorary president of the Expo, and Crown Princess Kiko attended the closing ceremony. “It is of major significance that many people came here to Yumeshima, forged connections, deepened mutual understanding and together had the chance to consider solutions to common challenges facing humanity,” the crown prince said at the ceremony.

Masakazu Tokura, chairperson of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said, “The world is diverse and yet we are one. There is profound significance in our reaffirmation of this.”

“As an organizer, I am delighted that it was an Expo for everyone,” he added.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also noted the combination of diversity and oneness at the event. “I believe it served as an exciting, dreamlike place for encounters,” he added.

At the ceremony, Ishiba said he had given a certificate of appreciation to the Expo’s official character, Myaku Myaku, drawing applause and laughter from the attendees.

Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said “thank you” in his speech eight times, expressing gratitude to everyone involved in the Expo, including the staff, security guards and medical personnel.

Since mid-September, the Expo’s daily visitor count had topped 200,000 everyday. As of Saturday, preliminary figures showed the total visitor count hitting 25.07 million.

By Oct. 3, 22.06 million tickets had been sold, well beyond the break-even point of 18 million. Add to that the brisk sales of Myaku Myaku merchandise and the Expo is expected to generate an operating profit of ¥23 billion to ¥28 billion.

At the closing ceremony, the flag of the Bureau International des Expositions was handed to Saudi Arabia, which is set to host the next World Expo in Riyadh in 2030.

It was Osaka’s second time hosting a World Expo, having previously held one in 1970. Together with the 2005 Aichi Expo, this made for Japan’s third World Expo overall.