The Dubai Expo closed Thursday, ending a six-month run that brought more than 23 million visitors to an event that had been postponed by one year due to the pandemic.
With the next expo slated to take place in Osaka in 2025, Japanese organizers have just three years, instead of the usual four, to finalize preparations. They need to not only convince countries to participate but also commit to a large expo presence at a time when many are focused on recovering from the pandemic and worried about the political and economic effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has already committed to attending the Osaka Expo — formally known as the Osaka, Kansai Expo 2025 — while Ukraine has yet to formally agree to be there. Japan now faces the question of whether it should expel Russia from the expo over the invasion and what kind of assistance it might provide to Ukraine to ensure it attends.
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