Osaka’s World Expo opens to the public on Sunday, following years of negative headlines — from budget overruns and calls for its cancellation, to methane explosions and concerns over its bizarre, many-eyed Lovecraftian mascot.
First held in London in 1851, world expos have been promoted as venues to bring nations together and foster global coordination. But for Japan’s second city, this is a coming-out party, a $66 billion gamble showcasing its transformation into a region that’s becoming a magnet for Asia’s cash.
It would be charitable to say even that it divides public opinion, though. A relentless drip of doom-mongering, from countries dropping out to towns boycotting it over safety fears, has soured public opinion. In surveys, some 70% say they’re not interested, and even in Osaka, where locals love to one-up Tokyo, most were little fussed.
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