TOKYO, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The costs for operating the 2025 World Exposition in the western Japanese city of Osaka are projected to inflate 1.4-fold from an earlier estimate to 116 billion yen (781 million U.S. dollars) amid rising labor costs, according to local media.
Of the total, the organizer plans to cover about 97 billion yen by revenue from admission ticket sales and the remainder from other sources of revenue, Kyodo News reported Tuesday, citing the event operator.
The approval of the updated figure came as construction costs at the expo venue have already ballooned amid high costs for material and labor, the report said.
The construction costs, which in part will be funded from state coffers, have nearly doubled from the initial estimate to about 235 billion yen, and the government has established a panel of experts to keep the costs in check, the report said.
The World Expo 2025 is scheduled to be held from April 13 to Oct. 13, 2025, on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay. ■
