Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday the government will consider introducing same-day tickets for the World Exposition in Osaka from April, despite an earlier decision not to do so to avoid long queues at the venue.
His remark at a meeting in Tokyo with Osaka Gov Hirofumi Yoshimura came as advance ticket sales remain far short of organizers' expectations.
"We want to allow people to purchase (such tickets)" during the event from April 13 to Oct 13, Ishiba told the governor, who has requested the measure along with other promotional steps by the central government.
Currently, a visitor is required to reserve an admission ticket with the date and time of a visit.
Advance ticket sales, which started on Nov 30, 2023, stood at around 7.67 million as of Jan 29, short of the target of 14 million. The online advance reservation system has also been criticized as complex by some of the participating countries.
"We will make the World Exposition an opportunity for Japan to achieve robust growth," Ishiba said at the meeting, also attended by Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama and Masayoshi Matsumoto, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition expects 28.2 million visitors during the event, to be held on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay.
© KYODO
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kurisupisu
Buy a ticket on the day?
What a novel idea?
sakurasuki
@kurisupisu
It is in Japan, so making things simpler just a really novel idea.
Even that happened after many participating countries complain that Japan's proposed ticket scheme is complex, it just doesn't contribute to more visitor.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2025/01/e018661a86dd-osaka-expo-participating-countries-question-ticket-booking-system.html
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Why proposing complex ticketing in the first place? Because this is Japan.
koiwaicoffee
Expensive, tickets are expensive.
Besides, what's so interesting about the expo to pay the admission fee? I went to 2004 Aichi expo, and there was nothing really remarkable about it, just pavilions with countries self promotion. I expect this to be quite the same.
ian
There are ways to mitigate. make tickets available in other places, online already available, packaged it with the train tickets etc
asdfghjkl
I have a feeling what the big fuss is about an expo and why one would want to visit. I certainly am unsure what the attraction is except for the cost it would take to actually. So honest question…..what do you do at an expo if you go?
asdfghjkl
“"We will make the World Exposition an opportunity for Japan to achieve robust growth," Ishiba said at the meeting, also attended by Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama and Masayoshi Matsumoto, chairman of the Kansai Economic Federation.”
How is that associated with robust growth?…..
wanderlust
Work on the Expo continues behind schedule, while at the same time, work on the Integrated Resort (Casino) has already started on the land next to the Expo.
Could they not have waited until the Expo was finished, and used the Casino labour and resources for that?
Seigi
Do they really expect "long queues" for this white elephant project? When the time comes, they will probably start giving away tickets just to bring people in! Their expectations were out of this world! This is not 1970-2005 anymore. It's the digital age.