PARIS -- The major Japanese city of Osaka was selected Friday to hold the World Expo in 2025, beating Russia's Ekaterinburg and the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
The Bureau International des Expositions chose the city at its General Assembly here via secret ballot, with 156 dues-paying countries voting among the 170 member states of the BIE. Japan won the most votes in the first round at 85, then prevailed over Russia in the runoff with 92.
