Staff Begin Clearing Up Expo Pavilions for Dismantlement; Site to Be Returned to Osaka City by End of February 2028

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:36 JST, October 15, 2025

OSAKA — Staff began removing various furnishings and fixtures from pavilions at the Osaka-Kansai Expo venue in Osaka on Tuesday, preparing for the structures to be dismantled.

The Expo grounds were quiet and empty, utterly different from the day before, which marked the end of the international event.

Marek Hradecky, 27, a culture program coordinator at the Czech pavilion, looked down at the venue while clearing up. “There’s no one around, just rows of trucks. It’s a totally different world from up until yesterday. It makes me feel lonely,” he said somberly.

The Portuguese pavilion offered leftovers from its restaurant, including gazpacho, to the staff of different pavilions and others.

“Even after the conclusion, we wanted to stay true to the Sustainable Development Goals spirit of the Expo,” an official at the pavilion said.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition has asked participating countries to start dismantling their pavilions from Oct. 20 and return the sites and plots to the association by April 13 next year at the latest. The whole area is scheduled to be returned as a vacant site to the city of Osaka, which owns the land, by the end of February 2028.