The Expo 2025 Osaka will be the next large international event organized in Japan, following the 2019 World Rugby Cup and Tokyo Olympics. The organizers, the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, have already started preparations for the event scheduled to be held at Yumeshima Island in Osaka between April 13 and October 13, 2025.
The budget for the Expo was increased in December 2020 by 50% to more than to 1.3 bn euros, due to rising personnel- and construction materials costs, as well as last-minute changes in the design of the venues. 75% of the budget will come from public sources, with the national government, Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City responsible for a third each.
Public money will also mean that contracts will be need to be awarded under public procedures and some EU enterprises have already expressed interest in providing their products to the organizers.
Although marketed as an international event, thus far there have been few signs that the organizers will look for international contributions in the preparatory phase. While the Tokyo Olympics organizers made efforts to offer contracts internationally, an inquiry by JTPP Helpdesk learned that the Osaka Expo organizers at this stage do not have a plan for public procurement in the international market on a structural basis. The organizers plan to set conditions for participation on a case-by-case basis. Thus far, announcements of contracts by the organizers have been exclusively in Japanese and will not be held under international government procurement rules. Looking at the contract for the preliminary design of a parking facility for the Expo that is currently on offer, participation conditions are quite prohibitive and difficult to fulfil for non-Japanese enterprises.
Most Japanese government entities do not provide procurement information in foreign languages, information on tenders and contracts in relation to the Expo by the public entities involved is available at the following locations.
(Last update: June 3, 2021)The EU-Japan Centre currently produces 5 newsletters :
Joint venture established in 1987 by the European Commission (DG GROW) and the Japanese Government (METI) for promoting all forms of industrial, trade and investment cooperation between the EU and Japan.
