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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
13-05-2025
- Business
1 Month On, Angola, Nepal Pavilions Not Open at Osaka Expo
Osaka, May 13 (Jiji Press)--The pavilions of Angola and Nepal at the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, are not open a month after the Expo began on April 13. Of the two, the Angola Pavilion opened on the first day of the Expo, but closed the next day for technical reasons. It is now expected to receive this week an inspection necessary to open, informed sources said. "I think (the Angola Pavilion) is not very far from reopening," Hiroyuki Ishige, secretary-general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said at a press conference on Monday. Meanwhile, construction of the Nepal Pavilion has been suspended since January due to unpaid construction costs, and its completion is uncertain. At a press conference on Tuesday, Yoshitaka Ito, Japan's minister in charge of the 2025 Expo, said that construction bills for some foreign pavilions have not been paid, without naming the countries. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Kyodo News
28-04-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Ticket sales for Osaka expo top 10 mil., most sold in advance
KYODO NEWS - 7 hours ago - 19:20 | Japan, Expo, All Admission ticket sales for the World Exposition in Osaka topped 10 million in about two weeks after its opening on April 13, organizers said Monday, with most of them sold in advance. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is aiming to sell 23 million tickets for the six-month expo, hoping to use the admissions to cover the event's running costs. A total of about 10.41 million tickets were sold as of Friday, of which 9.69 million were advance-sale and 717,000 were sold after the opening, according to the association. Sales of advance tickets have fallen short of the 14 million target. Jun Takashina, a deputy secretary general at the association, said sales of season passes, which allow attendees to visit multiple times, are increasing thanks to positive word-of-mouth from visitors. Related coverage: "Flying car" demos at Osaka Expo halted as part falls mid-flight World Expo in Osaka tops 1 mil. visitors in first 13 days
Kyodo News
28-04-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Ticket sales for Osaka expo top 10 mil., most sold in advance
KYODO NEWS - 16 minutes ago - 19:20 | Japan, Expo, All Admission ticket sales for the World Exposition in Osaka topped 10 million in about two weeks after its opening on April 13, organizers said Monday, with most of them sold in advance. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is aiming to sell 23 million tickets for the six-month expo, hoping to use the admissions to cover the event's running costs. A total of about 10.41 million tickets were sold as of Friday, of which 9.69 million were advance-sale and 717,000 were sold after the opening, according to the association. Sales of advance tickets have fallen short of the 14 million target. Jun Takashina, a deputy secretary general at the association, said sales of season passes, which allow attendees to visit multiple times, are increasing thanks to positive word-of-mouth from visitors. Related coverage: "Flying car" demos at Osaka Expo halted as part falls mid-flight World Expo in Osaka tops 1 mil. visitors in first 13 days
Asahi Shimbun
28-04-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Organizers to preserve a slice of Grand Ring at Osaka expo site
The Grand Ring on Yumeshima island in Osaka's Konohana Ward on April 21 (Asahi Shimbun file photo) OSAKA—The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition plans to preserve part of the Grand Ring, deemed the symbol of the Osaka Kansai Expo, after the event's conclusion. Its board is expected to officially approve the wooden structure's preservation at its June meeting. The proposal was made at a working-level meeting hosted by the association on April 24. Representatives of the central government, the Osaka prefectural and city governments, business federations and other member entities also attended. An agreement was reached to preserve part of Grand Ring in the redevelopment of Yumeshima island, the location of the expo, after the world fair ends. The association will make arrangements with the Osaka city government, which owns the man-made island. Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama and Keidanren (Japan Business Federation) Chairman Masakazu Tokura are among members expected to gather as early as May to confirm the plan. Should discussions progress, the association intends to revise contracts with builders that stipulate the full demolition of the Grand Ring after the expo's close. Sources shared that the 10 percent, or 200 meters, to be preserved will likely be the ring's northeastern portion from the Kansai Pavilion to Pop-up Stage Inner East. In its entirety, the ring, which is 30 meters wide, has an outer diameter that stretches to 675 meters, with varying heights of 12 to 20 meters. The decision to turn a portion of the Grand Ring into a monument is based on a redevelopment proposal chosen by the city government after the private sector submitted ideas. At the working-level meeting, members from the economy ministry said that preserving part of the Grand Ring 'would be appreciated in terms of leaving an obvious legacy from the expo.' Other members from the Kansai Economic Federation said, 'We can expect it to play a role as a visible expo legacy.' However, none of the members said they can afford the preservation and maintenance costs. As the island's owner, the Osaka city government is expected to work out the logistics of this and calculate the expected cost. The results of an expo visitor survey were also reported at the working-level meeting. When asked about their satisfaction with 23 of the venue's facilities, 61.3 percent of 51,000 attendees who responded by April 21 said they were 'very satisfied' with the Grand Ring, and 25.1 percent said they were 'somewhat satisfied.' Meanwhile, 36,000 of the 42,000 expo-goers who shared which venue facilities most impressed them placed the Grand Ring far ahead of other attractions, such as pavilions. Architect Sosuke Fujimoto, who was in charge of designing the entire expo venue, came up with the idea to build the Grand Ring, which earned a Guinness World Records title in March as the world's largest wooden building. The Grand Ring cost about 35 billion yen ($244 million) to build and used around 27,000 cubic meters of wood from Japan and overseas.
