On June 7, 2023, the third general meeting of the Mayoral Alliance for Expo 2025, the coalition of leaders for creation of the future society for the region of Osaka Expo 2025, was held at the Belle Salle Hanzomon in Tokyo.
Hirofumi Sawai, mayor of Matsubura, Osaka, was appointed as the new chairman. Chairman Sawai stated, “Unlike the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Osaka Expo 2025 is a national event to be held with an in-person audience.” Sawai included that it was his duty to bring the bustle of the city to the rest of the country as well, as 28 million people from Japan and abroad are expected to visit Osaka over the 6-month period.
Furthermore, he noted that Japan’s nationwide momentum is still lacking and persuaded participants, “There are currently 631 municipalities participating in the Mayoral Alliance for Expo 2025, and we wish to request the closest cities to the Expo to join as well. Furthermore, the secretariat can negotiate with the national government, associations, and various organizations, so we hope that you will make full use of this opportunity.”
Naoki Okada, Minister of the State for International Expositions, and Hiroyuki Ishige, Secretary General of the Japan Association for Osaka Expo 2025, also addressed the guests. Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura sent a video message. Referring to the initiative to increase the number of people interacting with Expo 2025, Minister Okada stated, “We are coordinating with the Ministry of Education to bring in 1.2 million students from schools across Japan to the Expo as a destination for class trips and are working to improve the environment, including admission fees.” He also emphasized that since the selections of class trip destinations are usually made 1 or 2 years in advance, “the important thing is to start working on it now.”
At the general meeting, the first of this year’s main initiatives, Expo Bento lunch boxes, was unveiled. 35 ingredients were selected from 34 regions across the country to showcase the appeal of Japanese cuisine. The recipe was developed by Murakawa Gakuen Educational Corporation.
Also announced was a project in which individuals and groups would arrange local “Ondo” songs into modern versions and post them on SNS under the hashtag, “#Expo 2025 Ondo.” Stardust Kawachi, a traditional dance team from Hirakata City, Osaka, arranged and performed a traditional Katano-bushi dance routine. The Mayoral Alliance will assist with public relations in the future.
Osaka Expo 2025 will be held on the man-made island of Yumeshima in Osaka for 184 days from April 13 to October 13, 2025. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on April 13, 2023, and tickets are expected to go on sale by the end of this year. The number of officially participating countries reached a record 153 as of March 2023, surpassing the target of 150.