The organizer of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, western Japan, is tapping into the power of young people to drum up public support and enthusiasm for the global event, which has been mired in controversy over its hefty infrastructure costs.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is rallying universities and teachers at primary and secondary schools to participate in the expo, which begins in April next year, and is making use of social media to get its message out.
Osaka's local governments also plan to conduct tours from June to October this year on the site's grand roof named the Ring, a gigantic wooden structure where visitors can overlook the expo site from the rooftop, for junior high and high school students who are residents of or are enrolled at schools in the prefecture aged between 12 and 17.
"Seeing is believing. I want leaders of our future society to experience the overwhelming presence of the Ring," Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters.
The Osaka prefectural government is also planning to invite some 1 million children residing in the prefecture -- elementary, junior high and high school students as well as 4- and 5-year-olds -- to the expo free of charge.
So far, about 75 percent of schools that responded to a survey by the prefecture's board of education said they intend to accept the invitation, according to an interim report of the survey.
The survey targeted some 1,900 schools in the prefecture and received responses from 1,280 as of May 24.
The expo will be held in Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, from April 13 through Oct. 13, 2025.
Public sentiment toward the expo remains critical due to its inflated construction costs and operating expenses. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has established a panel of experts to try and keep costs in check, with the ministry assessing construction costs roughly every two weeks based on reports from the organizer.
Amid the concerns about the event, the organizer said in May that the number of volunteers will be expanded from around 20,000 to 30,000 due to a higher-than-expected number of applicants.
The association and the Osaka prefectural and city governments have received a total of 55,634 applications, with people aged 18 and 19 accounting for the largest group at 23.6 percent of the total.
Expo site volunteers are expected to guide and welcome visitors from Japan and abroad at the venue, according to the organizer.
The volunteers helping out in Osaka, meanwhile, will offer assistance and information at major train stations, airports and other locations around the city, as well as visitor support at the venue's Osaka Healthcare Pavilion.
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