Forty-seven countries are currently planning to build self-built Type A pavilions at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, sources said on Wednesday.
Initially, 60 countries planned to build Type A pavilions for the event, but many of them encountered difficulties in contracting with contractors, mainly due to rising prices of construction materials.
There are only three months left until the rough deadline of mid-October for the completion of the pavilion’s exterior. It is still uncertain whether preparations will proceed smoothly for the opening of the expo, scheduled for April next year.
Of the countries planning to build Type A pavilions, Brazil and four others are moving to simplified Type X pavilions. These pavilions use a basic structure that the event organizer, the Japan Association, built for the 2025 World Expo.
Pakistan and six other countries are moving to Type C pavilions, which are shared by multiple participants.
Mexico, Russia and Argentina have withdrawn from the event, mainly due to financial problems. Colombia and another country have said they will rejoin the event.
Since delays in the construction of Type A pavilions became apparent last summer, the organizers had been urging participants to switch to Type X pavilions, giving countries that had not yet signed construction contracts until the end of June to make decisions.
