THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
November 29, 2023 at 17:40 JST
Hiroyuki Ishige, the secretary-general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, speaks to reporters in Osaka on Nov. 15. (Takuya Tanabe)
Russia announced its withdrawal from the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo on Nov. 28 amid escalating diplomatic tensions following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, saying it had been treated unfairly.
A Russian official said it was regrettable that the country had to cancel its attendance to the event due to a lack of communication with organizers.
The announcement was made at a general assembly of the Bureau International des Expositions held in Paris.
The convention was joined by officials from the global body’s member states including Hiroyuki Ishige, the secretary-general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition.
Russia’s representative said the country has faced unfair treatment from some of the participating countries, suggesting Moscow’s conflict with Japan and its western allies over the war in Ukraine played a role in making the decision to withdraw.
The Russian official further noted that the expo has traditionally served to foster economic and humanitarian bonds, inspiring healthy and constructive competitions between nations.
“It’s too early to make a comment about Russia’s announcement as we haven’t received an official notification yet,” said a spokesperson for the association.
Russia’s announcement comes days after Japan’s state minister in charge of the expo suggested that Russia is not welcome at the event.
“If the current situation (with Russia’s ongoing invasion) does not change, Russia’s participation in the expo is not expected,” Hanako Jimi said on Nov. 24.
Russia has become the third country to withdraw from the extravaganza following Mexico and Estonia, which have recently announced their decisions to pull out due to “domestic financial issues.”
Currently, 159 countries and regions as well as nine international organizations plan to participate in the world fair.
(This article was written by Daisuke Matsuoka and Koji Nishimura.)
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