22-04-2025
JCP newspaper granted access to Osaka expo after initial rejection
The Grand Ring of the Osaka Kansai Expo, certified by Guinness World Records as the world's largest wooden architectural structure (Toshiyuki Hayashi)
Organizers of the Osaka Kansai Expo issued a press pass to the official newspaper of the Japanese Communist Party after denying the publication access to preview events.
The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition granted a one-time pass to the Akahata (red flag) newspaper on April 21.
According to the Akahata, the association refused to let the newspaper attend the expo's test run, held from April 4 to 6, as well as a media preview on April 9.
The expo association told the publication that the newspaper was not invited to the events, saying that it was following internal guidelines.
The Akahata protested this reasoning.
However, the organizers decided to give access to the Akahata, citing a precedent set during the 2005 Aichi Expo, where the newspaper had been granted temporary accreditation.
During the Osaka Kansai Expo, which runs until Oct. 13, the association will provide the Akahata with a single-use pass for each news conference and media event upon request, rather than granting permanent accreditation.
The association also stated that freelance journalists who do not meet its guidelines could still be granted access on a case-by-case basis.
The Akahata and the JCP are viewed as critical of the expo.
A local JCP assembly member reported the detection of a potentially dangerous concentration of methane gas at the venue on April 6 during the test run, highlighting recurring safety concerns about the event, which is being held at a former landfill site.
