For Kansai, many of the events of 2017 will remain newsworthy in 2018. Here are some of the bigger topics expected to be closely followed in the region and surrounding areas next year:
2025 World Expo
In November, the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will award the World Expo 2025 to one of four cities: Paris, Osaka, Ekaterinburg, Russia, or Baku, Azerbaijan. For Osaka, the next 11 months will be spent on all manner of public relations efforts at home and abroad, via Japan's embassies and major business lobbies, to overcome the Paris bid in particular.