Overview

• The Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Blue Impulse team completed two 15-minute aerobatic shows over Yumeshima on July 12 and 13, with six jets drawing synchronized white-smoke formations including heart shapes.
• Pilots like Shoya Matsuura and team leader Captain Taku Ejiri celebrated the successful flights as a long-awaited payoff following an April 13 cancellation due to bad weather.
• Each demonstration followed a 2:40 pm departure from Kansai International Airport, passing Tsutenkaku, Osaka Castle and the Tower of the Sun before circling the Expo site.
• Expo 2025 reached its midpoint with a cumulative total of 10.08 million general visitors, yet daily attendance has plateaued around 100,000, raising concerns about meeting the 18 million-ticket breakeven threshold.
• Organizers are banking on high-profile events and personal stories showcased by Blue Impulse to revitalize public engagement and boost numbers in the exposition’s latter half.