Great success - Global showcase wraps up as Expo 2025 Osaka hands baton to Saudi Arabia for Expo 2030 Riyadh

Great success - Global showcase wraps up as Expo 2025 Osaka hands baton to Saudi Arabia for Expo 2030 Riyadh

"With flags waving and dancers performing, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai wrapped up six months of global exchange on Monday, drawing over 28 million visitors before Japan passed the World Expo flag to Saudi Arabia. Footage shows a parade of flags and dance performances, concluding the 184-day event. "I am very pleased that this Expo, held under the theme 'Designing a Future Society where Life Shines Brightly,' was held with enthusiasm and cooperation. The event was a great success and went off without a hitch," Crown Prince Akishino said, addressing the event. PM Shigeru Ishiba presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the Expo's mascot, Myaku Myaku, for its 'unique and endearing personality' that increased the popularity of the event. As a symbolic gesture, the flag of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation that regulates World Expos, was handed over to the Saudi Minister of State and CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC), Ibrahim bin Mohammed Al Sultan, by BIE Secretary General Dimitri S. Kerkentzes. Expo 2025 Osaka began on April 13, with 158 countries and seven international organisations participating in the event. Expo 2030 Riyadh will run from October 1, 2030, to March 31, 2031, and is expected to welcome more than 42 million visitors from 197 countries and 29 organisations. The event will explore forward-looking solutions for a more sustainable and inclusive future."