Osaka has won the rights to host the 2025 World Expo, beating out rivals Ekaterinburg and Baku.

The vote by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) returns the event to the city 55 years after the 1970 Osaka Expo, which drew 64 million visitors and is regarded as one of the most successful expos ever held.

Under the theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” the expo will be held on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, between May 3 and November 3, 2025.

Pavilions are expected to showcase advanced technologies, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, designed to help meet 2030 United Nations’ sustainable development goals in health and welfare, especially in aging societies.

About 28 million visitors are projected to attend the event and new transportation links to Yumeshima will have to be built.

Source: Japan Times