Osaka expo welcomes 10 millionth visitor at halfway stage
The number of visitors to the World Exposition in Osaka has topped 10 million, reaching the milestone at the halfway point of the six-month event, the Japanese expo association said Sunday, Kyodo reports.
The expo had welcomed 10.08 million visitors as of Saturday, three months since its April 13 opening, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said.
The number of daily visitors started picking up four weeks after the opening, which was marred by news of unfinished pavilions, with a record 184,990 entering the venue on June 28.
However, ticket sales slowed from late June as the rainy season drew to a close in the region and intense heat arrived, causing concerns for organizers who need 22 million visitors to reach the event's break-even point.
There have been 60 portable air conditioners installed outside the east and west gates to cool people waiting in queues, and organizers have urged people to take precautions against heat exhaustion.
As reported earlier, Japan is set to return to the deepest part of the world ocean with a new autonomous probe that will collect samples and also search for marine resources in Japan's exclusive economic zone.
