Arab News Japan

DUBAI: Qatar held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Qatari Pavilion at the 2025 Osaka, Kansai Expo on Tuesday.

Qatar’s Ambassador to Japan and Commissioner General of Qatar at Expo 2025 Jaber bin Jarallah Jalala Al-Marri attended the ceremony along with Chairman of the preparation committee for Qatar’s participation Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani.

Other expo representatives also attended as well as prominent figures from the political, media, social and business worlds.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are also among the GCC countries that have already participated in their groundbreaking ceremonies and began construction of their respective pavilions.

Concerns were raised on the expo preparations being behind schedule, with participating countries slow to make the necessary arrangements to construct their pavilions, but the organizers have stepped in to ensure that everything will be ready by April 13 next year.

The main exhibition pavilions will be contained within a circular building 2,000 meters in circumference and will be completed in September. Construction for the 100 smaller B and C pavilions has been undertaken with help from the organizers and should be completed by the autumn, while the larger A pavilions are the responsibility of the various countries, some of whom have already started construction.

There will be other pavilion complexes outside the main ring, hosting exhibitions and events by companies and some with dedicated themes.

The Expo has a massive schedule of events featuring both local, traditional and international culture, as well as “National Days” celebrating the cultures of the different countries and participants. The Expo will run from April 13, 2025, to October 13.