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Asahi Shimbun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Tokyo Expo that never was still echoes Japan's war history
An English-language pamphlet of the 1940 Tokyo Expo (Asahi Shimbun file photo) A short walk from The Asahi Shimbun's head office in Tokyo's Tsukiji district brings you to the striking silhouette of Kachidokibashi bridge. I crossed the iconic double-leaf bascule bridge, envisioning its former glory, when its massive steel girders would rise to grant passage to ships navigating the Sumidagawa river. Completed in 1940, the bridge was built as a key access route to a grand international event scheduled for that year. The event, known as the 'Grand International Exposition of Japan,' never came to fruition. The main venue for the planned expo was set in a waterfront district that would later become known as Harumi and Toyosu, areas now defined by sleek residential towers and bustling commercial complexes. Illustrations from the era envision a majestic spectacle: the bridge leading to an imposing front gate, flanked by a concert hall and a cinema. Around 50 countries were expected to participate, with ambitious plans for interactive exhibits, including a diorama-based facility designed to let visitors 'travel the world.' A circus was also scheduled to perform as part of the entertainment. These details are chronicled in Shinichi Fuma's 'Maboroshi no Tokyo Gorin and Banpaku 1940' (The phantom Tokyo Olympics and Expo 1940). The timing of the event was steeped in irony. By the time Japan announced its plans to host the exposition, the military had already triggered the 1931 Manchurian Incident—a pretext for its invasion of northeastern China—and the nation had withdrawn from the League of Nations. Despite these developments, the exposition was billed as a celebration of international peace, a claim that, in retrospect, feels more like a ceremonial gesture than a sincere objective. Ultimately, escalating conflict with China led to the expo's cancellation. A reader's letter, published in The Asahi Shimbun's Letters to the Editor section on May 18, shared a poignant discovery: an entrance ticket to the 1940 expo found among a grandfather's belongings. One cannot help but wonder whether similar forgotten mementos still lie tucked away in attics and drawers. In an acknowledgment of 'the weight of the history,' the ongoing Osaka Kansai Expo has chosen to allow original 1940 tickets to be exchanged for a day pass. What is the true purpose of a world expo? In earlier eras, it was a stage for displaying national power. During times of rapid economic growth, it fueled a collective yearning for the future. What message, then, should the latest expo impart? Crossing the Kachidokibashi bridge, I wandered through a cluster of towering condominiums. I came upon an unassuming signboard there. It marked the site where the administrative headquarters of the 1940 Tokyo Expo once stood. It is one of the few remnants of a dream that never came to pass. —The Asahi Shimbun, May 19 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
The Star
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Expo 2025 accepts 85-year-old ticket
A MAN was admitted to the World Expo in Japan with a ticket to a 1940 event that was called off as war escalated, organisers said. Tickets for the 'Grand International Exposition of Japan' in Tokyo were released in 1938 but the event was postponed indefinitely as Japan became embroiled in World War II. Organisers of Expo 2025 in the western city of Osaka, which opened last month and runs until mid-October, said in a statement they had decided to admit holders of tickets to the 1940 event. They exchanged one of the old tickets for two one-day Expo 2025 passes, the statement said. Local media reported that the 1940 ticket-holder was 25-year-old Fumiya Takenawa, who lives in Tokyo but was visiting his parents' home in Osaka. Takenawa is a collector of expo-related memorabilia and in March he purchased the 1940 ticket online, the Mainichi Shimbun daily and other outlets reported. They published a photograph of him smiling and holding up the old ticket, which features an elaborate red and black design. — AFP
NBC News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Man admitted to Japan's World Expo with 85-year-old ticket
Eighty-five years after his ticket was first issued for a similar event, a man was allowed to use it at this year's World Expo in Japan. Fumiya Takenawa attended Expo 2025 in the city of Osaka with a ticket that was originally issued for the Grand International Exposition of Japan in 1940, the organizers of this year's event said said in a statement on Monday. They added that the original event did not take place because of Japan's 'intensifying war,' in the region. The Empire of Japan invaded China in 1937 and four years later it staged a surprise attack on the American Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Takenawa, 25, bought the old ticket in March in an online sale, he told Japan's Mainichi newspaper, adding that he likes collecting things from old expos and had initially used it as home decoration. But after wondering whether it could be used for this year's event, he said he approached the organizers who agreed he could use it. 'This is my first expo, and I feel part of history,' he said, adding that he visited the Czech and Saudi Arabian pavilions at the expo. 'The person who had this ticket before me waited 85 years, and now their wish finally came true,' he said. Although he lives in Tokyo, he said he would like to revisit the expo when he travels to Osaka to see his family. The Expo, also known as World's Fair, showcases scientific, technological, economic, and social progress from around the planet. Launched in 1851 London's Crystal Palace, it is now held every five years in different locations under the supervision of an intergovernmental organization. The event in 1940 is known as the 'phantom Expo' as it never happened, the organizers said, adding that those with tickets for it have previously been allowed to attend the 1970 expo in Osaka and the 2005 expo in the Japanese prefecture of Aichi.
Hype Malaysia
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
Man Allowed Entry To The World Expo 2025 With An 85 Year Old Ticket
With Japan hosting the 5-year cycle World Expo 2025, there have been a good number of good deeds and surprises around every corner. With a whole airport rebranded to a Hello Kitty theme, Japan strikes again with a headline-making good deed for this year's expo. Japanese native Fumiya Takenawa was recently approved for entry to the World Expo 2025 held in Osaka using a ticket dating back to 1940. The ticket was a memorabilia he had purchased online for the Grand International Exposition of Japan, which was cancelled due to the escalation of the war at the time. Organisers of World Expo 2025 had graciously allowed Takenawa to exchange the old memorabilia ticket for two Expo 2025 passes. Reportedly, Takenawa is an avid collector of expo-related memorabilia where he bought the 1940 ticket online in March. He tells Mainichi Shibuya Daily, 'Expos are bridges of peace. After 85 years, I hope this clears the regrets of the person who couldn't attend the Expo that they must have been looking forward to'. He also revealed that his main interests were the Czech and Saudi Arabia pavilions. Interestingly, Takenawa actually lives in Tokyo but he intends to revisit the expo each time he visits his family in Osaka. The World Expo is event held every 5 years in different locations. This year, the event is held in Osaka, Japan and runs from 13th April to 13th October 2025, for a period of six months. Perhaps Takenawa's story may inspired others to try their luck with entering the expo with an old ticket. Would you pay a visit to the World Expo in Osaka? Source: The Mainichi Shibuya Daily Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article
The Star
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Man admitted to Japan's Expo 2025 with 85-year-old ticket
Fumiya Takenawa, a collector of expo-related memorabilia, purchased the 1940 ticket online in March. -- PHOTO: MAINICHI SHIMBUN via The Straits Times/ANN TOKYO (AFP): A man was admitted to the World Expo in Japan with a ticket to a 1940 event that was called off as war escalated, organisers said. Tickets for the "Grand International Exposition of Japan" in Tokyo were released in 1938 but the event was postponed indefinitely as Japan became embroiled in World War II. Organisers of Expo 2025 in the western city of Osaka, which opened last month and runs until mid-October, said in a statement they had decided to admit holders of tickets to the 1940 event. They exchanged one of the old tickets on Monday for two one-day Expo 2025 passes, the statement said. Local media reported that the 1940 ticket-holder was 25-year-old Fumiya Takenawa, who lives in Tokyo but was visiting his parents' home in Osaka. Takenawa is a collector of expo-related memorabilia and in March he purchased the 1940 ticket online, the Mainichi Shimbun daily and other outlets reported. They published a photograph of him smiling and holding up the old ticket, which features an elaborate red and black design. The Expo or World's Fair, which brought the Eiffel Tower to Paris, began with London's 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition and is now held every five years in different locations. Previous Expos in Japan -- in Osaka in 1970 and in Aichi region in 2005 -- have had similar policies of giving "invitation tickets" to people holding passes for the 1940 event, the Expo 2025 organisers said Monday. Takenawa was reportedly a fan of the huge white and red "Tower of the Sun," the symbol of the 1970 Osaka Expo that still stands in a park in the metropolis. - AFP
