Osaka –
The Osaka Expo opened its doors Sunday to the first of what organizers hope will be 28.2 million visitors over the next six months.
A day after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed hopes that the expo can bring together a world that he called “divided,” the general public got its first look at the massive Grand Ring, designed to symbolize unity, and the roughly 160 pavilions by participating nations, regions and organizations.
A marching band welcomed the first people through the gates alongside a group that included Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura and Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, the secretary-general of the Bureau International des Expositions, which organizes World Expos.
