Osaka Expo attendance tops 22 million, profit goal in sight

The operating body for the 2025 World Expo (Osaka Expo) announced on Sunday that total attendance had surpassed 22 million visitors as of Saturday, indicating a potential turnaround from initially projected financial losses.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition reported Saturday's general attendance at 213,000 people, or approximately 235,000 including staff. Since its opening in April, cumulative general attendance has exceeded 22 million, reaching about 25.06 million including staff.

Hirofumi Yoshimura, representative of Japan Innovation Party and Governor of Osaka Prefecture, announced the news on social media X, stating: "Before the opening, the media repeatedly questioned me: 'Governor Yoshimura, if the Expo incurs losses, how will you take responsibility? Will Osaka bear the burden? Or will you pay out of your own pocket?' They pressed me with these questions."

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The Osaka Expo will close on October 13. Since mid-September, daily attendance has exceeded 200,000 visitors for 16 consecutive days, creating issues with "dead tickets" - where ticket holders cannot reserve entry times despite having valid tickets.

According to reports from Yomiuri TV and NHK, while there are various ticket types, general admission tickets require reservation of an entry date after purchase. With the approaching closure and surging visitor numbers, the reservation website shows all dates until October 13 are fully booked, resulting in numerous tickets that cannot be used for entry.

Some netizens complain that "it's unfair to buy tickets but not be able to enter," while others argue that "those who wait until just before closure to use their tickets should take responsibility for poor planning."

Based on ticket sales versus actual attendance figures, approximately 1.1 million tickets may become "dead tickets," though some might still secure reservations. Assuming 1 million dead tickets at an adult ticket price of 7,500 yen each, the amount reaches 7.5 billion yen. Since tickets are non-refundable, these funds may directly become revenue for the organizing committee.