OSAKA (Kyodo) -- Dignitaries including Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attended the opening ceremony for the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka on Saturday, a day before the long-anticipated event opens its doors to the public.

The first world expo in Japan since the 2005 event in Aichi Prefecture, it is themed on "life" and ways to create a sustainable future society. In total, 158 countries and regions are set to exhibit at the expo lasting for six months until Oct. 13.

Acts and entertainment at the opening ceremony held at the expo's Yumeshima venue in the western Japan city included breakdancing, a life-themed lights show and musical performances. Crown Prince Fumihito, the expo's honorary president, and his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, also attended.

In his speech declaring the opening of the expo, Emperor Naruhito said he hopes it will be "an opportunity for the world to create a sustainable future."

Addressing the ceremony, Ishiba said the expo "provides a stage for the people of the world to come together and exchange dialogue," adding that it "will show the world a new Japan."