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SoraNews24
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Attendees to Expo 2025 hit record numbers despite record numbers of bugs
Maybe everyone's coming to see the bugs? As the days go by, the clouds of tiny, harmless flies gradually expand over the venue of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. Although they've become a thorn in the side of organizers and the Osaka government, they don't seem to be having an adverse effect on the number of people showing up. In fact, attendance has never been better! On 23 May, a new single-day attendance record was set at 139,000 regular visitors, surpassing even the number of people who attended on opening day and helping to push the total number of visitors over four million. This also brings the Expo closer to the 150,000 guests per day needed to achieve its goal of 28.2 million over the course of the whole event. Additional discounts and a special early gate are said to have helped contribute to the increased numbers. However, it's hard not to wonder if this insect phenomenon might actually be attracting people too. When you think about it, getting some pictures and video of it is great for engagement on social media. ▼ TV shows sure do like to get shots of them. The possibility that people are coming to see the chironomids is not a chance the Osaka government is willing to embrace, though. In a press conference on 27 May, Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura said that efforts to curb the spread of these insects are going full speed ahead. He also reminded everyone that even though these insects look like little mosquitoes they have no ability to bite people and pose no threat, aside from the piles of their dead bodies possibly triggering allergies. He also said that Earth Chemical, a company with whom the Osaka Prefectural government has a partnership agreement, is already on the scene and has set up a Chironomid Countermeasure HQ along with the Expo Association to deal with the gentle but creepy bugs. Yoshimura added: 'I think this is a very difficult issue. It is not something that can be easily overcome, but we will take all possible measures while incorporating the knowledge of experts.' Speaking of experts, Professor Yuji Ikeya of the University of Tokyo's pharmaceutical sciences department appeared on TV and bluntly said, 'I think they should just give up.' He explained that the larvae of the chironomids are quite resilient and at their current numbers are probably impossible to eradicate by human means. The larvae's natural predators are fish, but since the Expo's large pond of water has no fish, their numbers are free to flourish. ▼ The massive fountain shows with projection mapping in the water area probably make it hard to put fish in there. Instead, Ikeya suggests the Expo embraces the flies as a part of their theme of 'Designing a Future Society for Our Lives' since they're a great example of life triumphing. He adds they should even make a little chironomid mascot to complement Myaku-Myaku. I suspect he was joking about a lot of that, but he does have a point that these swarms of insects exemplify life at its purest and could be seen as an exhibit all their own. It's just too bad it couldn't have been a population explosion of red pandas, otters, or some other more socially embraced creature. Source: YTV News NNN, MBS News, Nikkan Sports Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
SoraNews24
22-05-2025
- SoraNews24
Osaka governor calls president of Earth to deal with swarms of Expo bugs
Earth to Osaka… When we previously visited the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, we addressed a number of common complaints and criticisms that were floating around the Internet, but a new one emerged only recently: 'It's full of bugs!' ▼ A news report on the bugs. I had encountered the bugs when I went. They were tiny things that look a little like really small mosquitoes but never landed on people, let alone bit anyone. They just kind of hovered over everyone's heads in swarms like aphids. I only encountered them on the upper deck of the Grand Ring on the side that goes partly into the ocean, and only around sunset. They were kind of creepy and unpleasant, but fairly mild compared with what you'd run into in a field or along a river. At the time, I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt as one of those seasonal things like mayflies that run their course in a week or so. ▼ At first glance, you might think those specks in this photo taken from the Grand Ring are birds flying in the distance, but they're really flies about a foot away from me. Turns out I was wrong, and the Expo venue is now increasingly flooded with these little insects that have been identified as chironomids, more casually known as 'non-biting midges' and even more casually known as 'blind mosquitoes', 'lake flies', 'muckleheads', 'muffleheads', 'chizzywinks', and other names, depending on the region. According to reports, they are now seen in large numbers in lower parts of the Grand Ring and even near pavilions on the water side. Complaints about them have been coming in fast and furiously on social media. ▼ Yeah… they definitely weren't this bad when I was there. 「閲覧注意」 大屋根リングの虫まみれも酷いけど、コンビニ？内にまで虫が入ってるのとか、ヤバ過ぎる、、、#万博#万博ヤバイ#万博虫まみれ — 市 (@0XXX0000) May 21, 2025 In response to this, Osaka Prefecture governor Hirofumi Yoshimura announced on 21 May that the prefecture has put in a request with Earth Chemical, Japan's leading producer of pesticides… excuse me, 'insect care products.' Yoshimura said he spoke directly with the president of Earth and that he is confident the knowledge they have gained in their vast experience would be put to good use here. Among the typical cynicism found in online comments about the Expo, some readers of news wondered why Tokyo-based Earth Chemical was called in instead of the hometown insecticide producers at Kincho. Others wondered if a mass extermination is really in the spirit of the Expo. 'There must be some reason behind them asking Earth instead of Kincho, which is headquartered in Osaka.' 'Well, Earth was founded in Osaka and moved to Tokyo during the bubble era.' 'Sounds like the Expo's theme has changed from 'making life shine' to 'harvesting life.'' 'Sounds like the Expo's going even deeper into the red paying for this.' 'I heard the chironomid season is until mid-July, so they better act fast or just wait it out.' 'The bugs were pretty bad near the water show.' 'Tropical fish or medaka would happily eat the larvae of those insects.' 'Poor flies… They're not hurting anyone and die in a few days anyway. Why kill them just because they multiply in large numbers and are unpleasant?' I tend to agree with that last comment in that, compared to most insects I've encountered throughout my life, those bugs are rather innocuous. And unless they've gotten bolder in recent days, they tend to just keep to themselves, albeit only a couple inches from people's heads. Also, I think if you're going to build an enormous wooden structure as a symbol of humanity's harmony with nature, you really should expect insects to be a part of that harmony too. Call me crazy, but launching a chemical attack on them feels a little out of step with that theme. At least using medaka to eat them has a certain circle-of-life quality to it. Source: YTV News NNN. Hachima Kiko Photos ©SoraNews24 ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
