PARIS (AP) — Cities in Russia, Japan and Azerbaijan are vying to host the 2025 World Expo, an event expected to draw millions of visitors and showcase their local culture.
The Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions votes Friday on whether to award the Expo to Yekaterinburg, Osaka or Baku.
Past world's fairs introduced wonders including the Eiffel Tower, the Ferris Wheel and Seattle's Space Needle. They're now held every five years, and Dubai is set to host the next one in 2020.
Osaka is proposing an event on a man-made island on the theme of "Society 5.0."
Baku's Expo would highlight ways to redefine human roles in an automating world.
Yekaterinburg, on the Europe-Asia border in Russia's Ural Mountains, is promising an Expo showing how to balance technological innovation with quality of life.
