Latest news with #2025WorldExposition
Yomiuri Shimbun
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Expo Osaka: High Levels of Legionella Bacteria Detected at Water Plaza; Fountain Shows Cancelled on Thursday and Friday
The Yomiuri Shimbun The Water Plaza at the Osaka-Kansai Expo site in Osaka, where fountain shows have now been canceled due to the detection of high levels of Legionella bacteria in the water, is seen on Thursday. OSAKA – The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition announced Wednesday that Legionella bacteria had been detected at very high levels in the Water Plaza, a water feature at the Osaka-Kansai Expo site. The association has decided to cancel the fountain shows scheduled for Thursday and Friday. According to the announcement, the bacteria were detected during a routine inspection conducted by the Osaka city health center on May 26. The association conducted another water quality inspection after cleaning the pipes and taking other measures starting on Saturday, but on Wednesday night they were detected again, at 20 times ordinary levels. The association decided to cancel the fountain shows after receiving advice from the health center. The association has stated that it is not in a position to evaluate the impact on human health. No one has complained of health problems at this stage, it said.
6 days ago
- Entertainment
USJ Holds Event at Osaka Expo
News from Japan Economy May 30, 2025 21:10 (JST) Osaka, May 30 (Jiji Press)--Theme park Universal Studios Japan in Osaka held its first collaboration event at the venue of the ongoing 2025 World Exposition in the western Japan city on Friday, attracting an audience of some 150 people. The event featured performances by USJ's popular dancers and characters, including Snoopy and Elmo, on a stage in front of the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, run by the Osaka prefectural and city governments. There was also an interactive play dedicated to USJ's ongoing "Thanks Love Month" event, when visitors are encouraged to say "thank you" to their family and friends. During the play, visitors were asked about their recent exchanges of gratitude with loved ones. A USJ fan, 61, from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, whose son recently celebrated Mother's Day for her, smiled and said, "I'm happy to interact with the characters I always see at the park." END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Today
26-05-2025
- Health
- Japan Today
Osaka Expo reverses no-smoking policy despite methane ignition fears
The organizer of the World Exposition in Osaka has recently decided to set up two smoking areas within the event's venue by early June, reversing its earlier policy despite lingering fears about the potential ignition of underground methane gas. Until now, those who wished to smoke had to leave the 155-hectare venue and go to one of two designated areas outside its east gate. The lack of accessible smoking spots prompted some staff and participants to smoke in unauthorized areas. The organizing committee said it made the decision after staff who smoke complained about the inconvenience of walking across the large venue to reach the smoking areas. One of the new smoking areas will be set up on the western side of the venue, according to the committee. In March 2024, an explosion occurred when sparks from welding ignited methane gas, fanning concerns that the substance accumulating underground at the venue could cause a serious accident during the global event, which many world leaders are scheduled to visit. Jun Takashina, a deputy secretary general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said at a press conference on Monday that the smoking areas "will be installed in places where the fire department does not prohibit open flames." Health experts, meanwhile, have pointed out the issue of secondhand smoke, saying that allowing smoking, even in designated areas, runs counter to the Osaka expo's theme of building a sustainable society and improving lives. They added one of the two existing smoking areas outside the east gate is already exposing others to secondhand smoke. "We live in a world where a smoking ban in public places is a common practice," said Bungaku Watanabe, director of the nonprofit organization Japan Society for Tobacco Control. "It would be best to totally ban smoking at the expo," he added. Tomoyasu Hirano, a professor of human sciences at Osaka University of Economics, said that if the expo organizer allows smoking within the venue, designated areas must be completely separated from visitor flow to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke and complaints about the smell. © KYODO
Express Tribune
26-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Jam Kamal kicks off Japan visit to boost ties
Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan arrived in Japan on Monday, marking the start of a high-level official visit aimed at strengthening economic, trade and investment relations between Pakistan and Japan. The minister was received at the Kansai International Airport by Pakistan's economic minister, the director of Pakistan Pavilion Expo 2025 and the trade and investment counsellor, according to a press release issued by the commerce ministry. On Tuesday, the federal minister will lead Pakistan's representation at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, beginning with a meeting with the leadership of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition. Following the meeting, he will tour various national pavilions, with a special visit to the Pakistan pavilion, where he is expected to interact with officials and stakeholders promoting Pakistan's culture, investment potential and trade opportunities. The Pakistan pavilion showcases the country's emerging sectors, traditional crafts, tourism attractions and industrial strengths. The minister will also visit the pavilions of key regional and global partners. Jam Kamal is scheduled to address a press conference and attend a diplomatic dinner at the Expo Salon as well as engage in bilateral discussions with Japanese officials and business representatives. The federal minister's visit is expected to pave the way for deeper economic collaboration, new trade linkages and increased visibility of Pakistan's potential at international forums.
Yomiuri Shimbun
25-05-2025
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
2025 Osaka Expo: Expo Venue Hit by Swarms of Chironomids; Organizers Cooperating with Pest Control Companies, Others to Deal with Outbreak
The Yomiuri Shimbun Chironomids gather around the Grand Ring at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo in Konoha Ward, Osaka, on Friday. Swarms of mosquito-like insects are bugging visitors at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, prompting organizers to take countermeasures. The insects, called chironomids, do not bite people or suck their blood, but that has not made them any less unpopular with Expo visitors, who describe them as 'disgusting.' Organizers are working with insecticide makers to contain the outbreak. At around 7 p.m. on Friday, after the sun had set and the remaining light was fading, we were walking along the promenade of the Grand Ring on the south side of the venue when we felt something hit us in the face. The next moment, a swarm of bugs appeared. Many of the visitors who had climbed the ring to see a nighttime water show began brushing the bugs off themselves with their hands or putting on masks. 'It was not this bad when I came at the end of April,' said a 70-year-old woman from Osaka City who visited the event with four friends. 'I had heard about the bugs on the news. They almost got in my eyes, which was disgusting.' The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, the expo organizer, later identified the insects as chironomids. The bugs are believed to have spawned mainly in the Water Plaza, a wide seawater area on the south side of the venue. The chironomid belongs to the Diptera order. There are reportedly 1,000 to 2,000 species of chironomids in Japan. According to Toyo Sangyo Co., a pest control company in Okayama City, and others, adult chironomids measure about 0.5 millimeters to 1 centimeter. They lay their eggs in rivers, irrigation canals and puddles. The larvae feed on organic matter in the water, which helps improve the water quality — one positive aspect to them. The adults are active from dusk to night and often gather around lights. When mating, they fly in swarms to form what is called a mosquito column. They do not feed. After hatching, they mate, lay eggs and die. Their lifespan is only a few days. In extremely rare cases, they can cause an allergic reaction in humans if they enter the mouth. Nao Yamamoto of Mizuken, an environmental analysis company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, examined insects collected at the Expo site and found them to be a species known as Chironomus salinarius Kieffer. The species is salt-tolerant and lives in areas where fresh water and seawater mix, and outbreaks peak in May and June, he said. According to Yamamoto, the outbreak at the Expo venue is due mainly to the existence of the Water Plaza and the absence of competing salt-tolerant creatures and natural predators in the area. The Expo association has sprayed an insect growth inhibitor over puddles and planting zones on the Grand Ring. It has also consulted with experts and the Environment Ministry on how to deal with the problem. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said at a news conference on Wednesday that he had asked Earth Corp., a major insecticide company in Tokyo, to help solve the problem.
