Photo/Illutration The site of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo is seen on Yumeshima, reclaimed land in Osaka Bay, on July 11. A casino resort will also be built there. (Masaru Komiyaji)

The U.S. pavilion has a massive air dome. The red walls of the Soviet pavilion form a curved line stretching to the sky.

In manga artist Naoki Urasawa’s “20th Century Boys,” the protagonist Kenji and his pals struggle to decide which pavilions to visit at the 1970 Osaka Expo. The problem is, there are so many.

Eccentric works of architecture at that expo were symbols of a bright future.

I’m sure that many young people are looking forward to visiting the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo.

But there’s no hammering going on. Instead, what we are hearing is aggrieved voices because not a single planning application has been submitted to the Osaka city government by the 56 countries and regions that are expected to build pavilions.

“We have repeatedly said, ‘If things keep going like this, construction will not be finished in time,’” a contractor was quoted as saying in a story published recently by The Asahi Shimbun.

It seems members of the construction industry lobbied the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition last fall to coordinate with foreign governments.

It almost sounds like they can’t wait to say, “We told you so.”

Besides the tight schedule, there is another concern: the growing price tag.

The cost of construction was originally estimated at 125 billion yen ($898 million).

It was to be shared by the central government, the business community and the Osaka prefectural and city governments.

The estimate has now risen to 185 billion yen. Reasons for this include the need to spend more on dealing with the summer heat.

I wonder if the price could balloon further, due to construction delays and surging material costs.

It makes me recall what author Kazutoshi Hando said in his dialogue book “Ima, Nihonjin ni Shittemoraitai koto” (What we want the Japanese to know right now).

The thinking of Japanese people, he wrote, tends toward denial about troublesome things. They become convinced that things “may not happen,” “can’t be happening” or “won’t happen.”

The other day, The Asahi Shimbun ran a wry piece in the “senryu” satirical haiku section.

“You’ll never know how many billions of yen we end up shouldering for the pavilions,” it ran, making a pun on “billions” and “pavilions.”

I hope it “won’t happen,” but you never know.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 28

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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