Representatives of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) assessing Japan’s bid for World Expo 2025 have completed the Enquiry Mission after visiting capital city Tokyo and candidate city Osaka.

Members of the Enquiry Mission arrived in Japan on Monday, 5 March for a three-day visit during which they met with political leaders, learnt more about the Expo project, and exchanged with key figures involved in the Expo project and the development of its theme, “Designing Future Society for Our Lives.”

Reiterating national support for the Expo bid, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, met with members of the Enquiry Mission in Tokyo on 6 March. The delegation also held meetings with the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hiroshige Seko, and the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mitsunari Okamoto, as well as other senior political figures. Demonstrating the broad level of backing for the bid project, the BIE delegation also exchanged with the Diet Members Caucus and with Sadayuki Sakakibara, Chairman of Japan Business Federation Keidanren and Chairman of the 2025 Japan World Expo Committee.

On 7 March, the Enquiry Mission travelled to the Kansai region, firstly to Kyoto and then to Osaka. In the candidate city, members of the Enquiry Mission were received by Ichiro Matsui, Governor of Osaka Prefecture, and by Hirofumi Yoshimura, Mayor of Osaka City. They also held meetings with business and civil society supporters of the Expo project.

During the visit, the BIE delegation received detailed presentations of the bid project and visited Yumeshima Island, the location of the proposed Expo site. Additionally, a visit to the Countdown Showcase technological exhibition in Osaka City Hall was organised to demonstrate the importance of future technology in the Kansai region, a key feature of its Expo 2025 bid.