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Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Expo organizers say they handled rail suspension ‘appropriately'
A father and son from Nara Prefecture rest in the Osaka Healthcare Pavillion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo around 2 a.m. Aug. 14. (Emiko Arimoto) OSAKA—Despite anger expressed by stranded visitors, Osaka Kansai Expo organizers gave a generally positive assessment of their on-site response to a service suspension on the sole rail link to the site. While apologizing for the confusion, the organizers said they could 'adapt to the circumstances.' 'At the end of the day, no major accidents occurred,' Jun Takashina, deputy secretary-general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, told a news conference on Aug. 14. 'I believe that, fundamentally, we were able to handle the situation appropriately.' Many visitors spent the night at the expo venue after a power outage halted the entire service on Osaka Metro Co.'s Chuo Line on the night of Aug. 13. Many of those who were unable to return home expressed dissatisfaction with the expo organizers, particularly concerning how information was communicated. Takashina acknowledged such issues as the timing of information releases. 'When we look at individual details, there are various points to reflect on,' he said. 'We intend to thoroughly review them and make improvements.' Osaka Metro notified the association of the suspension around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, when many expo visitors were heading home, association officials said. Within 15 minutes, the association restricted departures from the East Gate, which directly connects to Yumeshima Station on the Chuo Line, and urged visitors to remain inside the expo venue. The organizers said they were concerned about the risk of a crowd crush. When the Chuo Line was halted, about 30,000 people were in and around the venue. After 10 p.m., a shuttle service began between Yumeshima Station and the neighboring Cosmo Square Station. But the association feared a potential safety hazard if people rushed toward Yumeshima Station. To prevent the risk, the association allowed those already near the station to leave, while continuing to urge others to remain inside the venue. The organizers initially did not anticipate a prolonged suspension. It was only around midnight when they switched to what they called a 'disaster-level response' after concluding that a full-service resumption was unlikely and that visitors would be stranded. Expo pavilions were asked to accommodate visitors inside. But even under the disaster-level response, distribution of bottled water to visitors did not begin until 4 a.m. on Aug. 14, more than six hours after the suspension started. Some pavilions did not open their doors until 3 a.m., waiting for instructions from the association. The expo is being held on Yumeshima, a manmade island in Osaka Bay. The latest incident again highlighted the vulnerability of transportation access to the venue, which had been pointed out before the expo opened in April. When the Chuo Line was suspended on the night of April 22, about 4,000 people were stranded at Yumeshima Station. Back then, it took the expo organizers about 20 minutes to grasp the situation, and communications with Osaka Metro were identified as an issue. This time around, information on the suspension was shared within three minutes. The expo site also experienced a problem when a powerful earthquake struck near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30. A tsunami advisory was broadcast after the expected arrival time of the waves. With typhoon season continuing, a review of countermeasures for transportation disruptions and natural disasters remains a priority until the expo closes in October. (This article was compiled from reports by Kazuhito Suwa, Yoshiko Sato and Yuiichi Nobira.)
NHK
6 days ago
- NHK
Osaka subway suspension leaves many World Expo visitors stranded
The only subway line serving the venue of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka was suspended due to a power outage late on Wednesday, stranding many visitors. The Osaka Metro Chuo Line was out of service from around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The reason for the power outage is unknown. The suspension forced the closure of Yumeshima Station, the nearest stop to the Expo venue, leaving large crowds unable to leave. Shortly before midnight, access to the station was restored, and trains began running to the next station. But many visitors remained stuck. Emergency officials say one person with a leg injury and 33 others complaining of feeling sick had been taken to hospital as of 1:30 a.m. on Thursday. Some visitors unable to return home stayed overnight in pavilions opened as emergency shelters. The Osaka prefectural government and the organizer of the exposition distributed water and food. Full service on the Chuo Line resumed shortly after 5 a.m. on Thursday. One visitor in his 40s said he and his family slept under the Grand Ring, a huge wooden structure serving as the symbol of the Osaka Expo. He said they checked the live camera to monitor the crowds and stayed away from the station. He added they decided at around 1 a.m. to remain in the venue. He said some restaurants and pavilions stayed open and his family could obtain water easily. He also said there was a breeze so the heat was not as bad as he had expected. The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition said the venue would open an hour later than usual on Thursday at 10 a.m.
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
Japan Expo visitors stranded overnight by halted train
Visitors sleep outside one of the venues overnight after a power outage abruptly shut down the Osaka Metro line linking the city to the 2025 Osaka Expo site, in Osaka early on August 14, 2025. Jiji Press/ AFP TOKYO — A sudden suspension of the sole train to Japan's Expo 2025 stranded more than 30,000 visitors, with some forced to spend a sweltering night near the station and more than 30 people sent to hospitals by Thursday morning. A power outage abruptly shut the metro line in Osaka on Wednesday night while a crowd was packed into the Expo site's station. As of 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, around 30,000 people were stranded, the Expo organizer said. "So many people were packing the station that it felt like a steam bath," an elderly woman told local broadcaster MBS news. Many, including families with children, wound up sleeping on benches under the Expo's wooden "Grand Ring" or inside pavilions turned into shelters. Visitors sleep outside under the Grand Ring overnight after a power outage abruptly shut down the Osaka Metro line linking the city to the 2025 Osaka Expo site, in Osaka early on August 14, 2025. Jiji Press/ AFP Visitors stand on the Grand Ring, the largest wooden architectural structure according to Guinness World Records, on Expo 2025's first day which is open to the public, in Osaka, western Japan April 13, 2025. REUTERS/ Issei Kato It took the Osaka Metro around eight hours to restore the Chuo line's service, with trains not fully operational until early Thursday morning. By then, 36 people had been sent to hospitals for symptoms including headaches and dizziness, according to the Expo organizer. IN PHOTOS: World Expo opens in Japan Expo staffers spent the night trying to cheer trapped visitors by lighting up objects and turning on music. Bowing deeply, Osaka Metro officials apologized for "causing immense trouble" to those affected, blaming a short-circuit for the outage. Japan has been suffering a punishing summer heatwave, recording its hottest July since records began in 1898. Osaka last hosted the Expo in 1970 when it attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010. Last month, Expo organizers reported welcoming 10 million visitors, with the fair running until October. — Agence France-Presse
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Power cut strands 30,000 at Japan's Osaka expo, sparks calls for better crisis planning
About 30,000 visitors to Japan 's World Exposition in Osaka were left stranded, with some forced to spend the night inside the expo grounds, after the sole train service to the venue had to be halted due to a power outage on Wednesday. Services on the Chuo Line, the only direct route to Yumeshima, the artificial island that hosts the expo, were halted at 9.30pm – 30 minutes before closing time – because of an electrical failure, Kyodo news agency reported. While the Osaka Metro partially restored the service before midnight, Yumeshima was so overwhelmed with people trying to leave via the station that entry was temporarily restricted, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper. Visitors were encouraged to use other public transport or stay inside the venue. Visitors wait in line for taxis in front of the entrance gate of the World Exposition in Osaka on Wednesday night, after services were suspended on the Osaka Metro's Chuo Line, which offers sole direct train access from the city centre to the expo site on Yumeshima island. Photo: Kyodo One man from Saitama prefecture ended up waiting for a taxi after not being able to catch the train at the station. 'We were packed in like sardines,' he told the Asahi Shimbun, adding that it was so hot that some people fainted. 'Visitors need more information. There is no crisis management at all.'
RTHK
6 days ago
- RTHK
Over 30,000 stranded amid Osaka Expo rail chaos
Over 30,000 stranded amid Osaka Expo rail chaos Visitors crowd in front of the entrance to Osaka Metro Yumeshima Station after a power outage abruptly shut down the line. Photo: JIJI Press via AFP A sudden suspension of the sole train to Japan's Expo 2025 stranded more than 30,000 visitors, with some forced to spend a sweltering night near the station and more than 30 people sent to hospitals by Thursday morning. A power outage abruptly shut the metro line in Osaka on Wednesday night while a crowd was packed into the expo site's station. As of 9.30pm on Wednesday, around 30,000 people were stranded, the expo organiser said. "So many people were packing the station that it felt like a steam bath," an elderly woman told local broadcaster MBS News. Many, including families with children, wound up sleeping on benches under the Expo's wooden "Grand Ring" or inside pavillons turned into shelters. It took the Osaka Metro around eight hours to restore the Chuo line's service, with trains not fully operational until early on Thursday. By then, 36 people had been sent to hospitals for symptoms including headaches and dizziness, according to the expo organiser. Expo staffers spent the night trying to cheer trapped visitors by lighting up objects and turning on music. Bowing deeply, Osaka Metro officials apologised for "causing immense trouble" to those affected, blaming a short-circuit for the outage. Japan has been suffering a punishing summer heatwave, recording its hottest July since records began in 1898. Osaka last hosted the expo in 1970 when it attracted 64 million people, a record until Shanghai in 2010. Last month, expo organisers reported welcoming 10 million visitors, with the fair running until October. (AFP)
