Argentina has decided to withdraw its participation in the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, the third country to do so among those who were set to build their own pavilions, Japan's minister in charge of the global event said Friday.
Hanako Jimi did not disclose at a press conference the reason for the withdrawal but the country has long been mired in extremely high inflation, leading President Javier Milei to cut government spending after taking office in December.
So far, Mexico and Estonia have decided to give up participating in the expo, slated to run from April 13 to Oct. 13 next year on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay.
The two countries had planned to build a so-called Type A pavilion, in which participating nations design and build their own installations. The self-built pavilions are considered a key attraction at the event.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition had advised Argentina to shift to less costly options, such as the Type C pavilion, which will be built by the organizer and shared among participants, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Another option was the Type X pavilion, built by the organizer and rented out to participants who will take charge of the interior and exterior, but the negotiations stalled due to the country's financial problems, the sources said.
The number of countries planning to build Type A pavilions has decreased to around 50 from the initial 60 amid rising material costs and labor shortages in Japan's construction sector.
The expo has been overshadowed by criticism of inflated costs and concerns over the slow construction of pavilions by overseas participants.
Also on Friday, scandal-hit Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said it has decided to withdraw from the sponsorship of the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, where exhibitions will be held by Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City, together with universities and industries, to showcase cutting-edge health and medical technologies.
With people developing health problems after taking its "beni-koji" red yeast rice dietary supplements, in some cases resulting in fatalities, the company said it will focus on recalling its products and pinpointing the cause of the problem.
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