Photo/Illutration A ring-shaped wooden roof, the symbol of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo, is seen at the construction site in August. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OSAKA—Organizers of the Osaka Kansai Expo plan to earmark up to an additional 6.2 billion yen ($44 million) for pavilion-related changes, sources said.

The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition will propose an additional 5.2 billion to 6.2 billion yen in venue construction costs at a meeting of its executive board of directors on Sept. 13, the sources said.

The expo's construction budget currently stands at 235 billion yen, including 13 billion yen in contingency funds.

The total amount has increased 90 percent from the original budget after two revisions.

The association plans to cover these additional costs with contingency funds and savings on other expenditures included in the budget.

However, some officials said the construction budget may have to be revised upward for a third time if costs in other areas increase in the future.

Sixty countries initially planned to design and build Type A pavilions at their own expense, but preparations fell behind schedule for many of those pavilions. 

These structures are considered expo highlights celebrating a country's history and culture.

The association last year proposed to erect prefabricated structures for simpler Type X pavilions so that some countries can shift from Type A pavilions. 

Type X pavilions will be built by the association, but the participating countries will pay construction costs and complete the structure's interior and exterior work. 

According to sources, the association asked general contractors to design 25 buildings for Type X pavilions and procure construction materials but later reduced the number to nine.

About 400 million yen will be required for payments for preliminary design and materials for the canceled 16 buildings.

In addition, only five countries decided to change to Type X pavilions, meaning that the association must shoulder construction costs for the remaining four structures.

The association decided to convert them into two rest facilities for group visitors and two Type C pavilions, where multiple countries will lease exhibition space.

The changeovers will result in about 2.8 billion yen in additional costs.

Construction costs for Type X pavilions had not been included in the budget.

Some plots for Type A pavilions were left vacant after the prospective occupants withdrew.

The association plans to spend about 2 billion to 3 billion yen on diverting those plots for use as rest facilities.

Separately, at least 100 million yen will be required to mitigate the dangers of methane gas beneath the site, which sits on land reclaimed with waste materials.

An explosion of methane gas occurred during welding work at the site in March. No one was injured.

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