Member States of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) today elected Japan as host country of World Expo 2025.
After two rounds of voting during the BIE’s 164th General Assembly in Paris, a majority of Member States voted for Japan’s project to organize World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai under the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives” between 3 May and 3 November 2025.
“The election of Japan as the host country of World Expo 2025 marks the start of an exciting journey for Osaka”, declared the Secretary General of the BIE, Vicente G. Loscertales. He added: “the Expo project, based around the co-creation of a future society to address global challenges, has a strong resonance with the international community. After the memorable success of World Expo 1970, we look forward to seeing a World Expo once again come to life in Osaka, Kansai.”
Three countries were in the running to host World Expo 2025. Russia was bidding for the city of Ekaterinburg with the theme “Changing the World: Innovations and Better Life for Future Generations”. Azerbaijan was bidding for the city of Baku with the theme “Developing human capital, building a better future”.
Eligible and present Member States, represented by government-appointed delegates, elected the host country in a secret ballot using electronic voting, on the basis of ‘one country, one vote’. As no candidate received the two-thirds majority required to win in the first round, Japan and Russia moved into a second round, where a simple majority of votes cast is required to be elected.
First round results
Japan – 85
Russia – 48
Azerbaijan – 23
Second round results
Japan – 92
Russia – 61
World Expos, known officially as International Registered Exhibitions, are organised every five years. They can last up to six months, and international participants can build their own pavilions on the Expo site. The themes of World Expos are designed to raise awareness of and find responses to universal challenges of our time. The most recent World Expo was held in the city of Milan, Italy, in 2015, under the theme “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”. The next World Expo will take place in Dubai (UAE) between 20 October 2020 and 10 April 2021 under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.
PHOTO courtesy BIE.
