Arab News Japan

TOKYO: With the costs of hosting the 2025 World Expo in Osaka rising sharply, BABA Nobuyuki, the leader of Japan’s second-largest opposition group in parliament, says the event and its related costs should be seen as an investment for the future rather than as a short-term loss.

Osaka’s plans to host the World Expo have been hit by rising costs and several setbacks, including finding construction companies and personnel to complete the pavilions there. There have even been calls for the Expo to be postponed or canceled. But Osaka-born Baba, the leader of the Japan Innovation Party, said at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan on Tuesday, as long as the Expo ends in the black, it will have positive results for the region, including the nearby Hokuriku region that suffered a deadly earthquake on January 1.

“I believe that the success of the Osaka Kansai Expo will contribute to the positive economic recovery of the Hokuriku region and also contribute to ensuring the people of that region can return to their hometowns once again,” Baba said, noting that 30,000 people are currently living in shelters following the quake that killed over 200. “I think the Expo will serve as a tool for doing that. But I do recognize that there are various opinions or criticisms regarding this.”

“However, as for where the source of these funds should come from, I have a different opinion than thinking that the Expo should be postponed or canceled.”

The Expo is scheduled for April to October 2025, and the latest estimate is that it will cost 235 billion yen ($1.6 billion), more than 80 percent more than the original estimate. Baba says it will generate strong business opportunities and revitalize the local economy.

However, there is low public support for the event, which the taxpayer will mostly fund. According to a poll conducted by Kyodo News, only 18.8 percent of respondents said that the Expo should be held as planned. Nearly 50 percent said the size should be reduced, and 22.5 percent said it should be canceled.