Ticket prices for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka may see a hike of more than 30% — from ¥6,000 to ¥8,000 — due to inflation and higher labor costs associated with tighter security measures, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Expo is considering raising the adult ticket price mainly to cover the event's added security and other operational costs, which are likely to balloon from an initial estimate of ¥80.9 billion, the sources said.
Last year, the association planned to charge ¥6,000 per adult. The decision for admission prices will be finalized in mid-June, with the approval of the government.
Tickets are slated to go on sale on Nov. 30, 500 days before the expo opens April 13.
The expo will run until Oct. 13 on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, under the central theme of "Designing Future Society for Our Lives."
As of the end of March, at least 153 countries and regions plan to participate, according to the Japanese government.
While same-day tickets are to be offered at a basic price, early tickets or those purchased during the beginning of the event will be discounted to level out the congestion of visitor turnout, according to the sources.
The measure will be taken on the basis that visitors are more likely to come during the second-half of the exhibition period.
The association is also considering group tickets for schools on excursions as well as tickets for summer holidays that will enable guests to enter the venue multiple times, the sources said.
Visitors will likely be able to purchase electronic tickets, in principle, from six months before their arrival. The association expects about 28.2 million people to come, including around 3.5 million from abroad.