The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© KYODOOsaka Expo pavilion cost may further increase by ¥7.7 bil
OSAKA©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© KYODO
36 Comments
Login to comment
GuruMick
Before international travel ,the internet and Amazon etc, a time when people may marvel at what other countries produce, marvel at the different peoples of the world, even things like different clothing and food.
Those were the times for "Expo exhibition "
Now it seems like a costly boondoggle...an anachronism...a throwback to another century.
No wonder countries are weighing up the costs and reorganizing the dimension of their commitment.
kurisupisu
It’s quite unbelievable that the people of Japan are suffering such a burden while the price of commodities ranging from food to fuel are rising.
Not only is it massively expensive, it is extremely wasteful.
Asiaman7
81 percent of respondents to a recent Asahi Shimbun survey indicated they have no intention of attending the expo. Excerpt below.
—
Even among locals in Osaka, only 38 percent expressed interest in attending, while 62 percent remained uninterested.
The high cost of admission is cited as the primary reason for disinterest.
“The tickets are simply too expensive,” remarked a 50-year-old female respondent from Osaka Prefecture. “This isn’t a commercial theme park; they need to consider the average person’s budget.”
“I’d like to go if I could afford it, but it’s just not possible,” said a 61-year-old woman from Tokyo.
Some respondents feel obligated to attend the expo to justify the significant public investment.
“I’ve come to think that I should go and enjoy myself in order to make the most of the huge amount of public money, including my own taxes, that has been invested,” said a 59-year-old woman from Shiga Prefecture.
Regardless of whether they plan to attend or not, 86 percent of respondents expressed their disapproval of holding the expo using public funds.
The lack of enthusiasm is attributed to a general decline in public interest in expos, with many labeling them as outdated and irrelevant.
A 59-year-old woman from Tokyo added, “Do they think we’ll go back to the high-growth era if we just keep repeating the cycle of Tokyo Olympics, Osaka Expo and Sapporo Olympics? It’s pathetic that their mindset is stuck in the Showa Era (1926-1989).”
—
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15300992
dagon
The LDP and the Japan inc. real estate/developer/construction combine will be flushed with cash, as overall standards of living fall. Drinks all around?
Business/ government synergy, socialism for the rich is wonderful innit?
BigP
Don’t need it.
Don't want it.
Please listen to the public!
kurisupisu
In Japan the rich get richer while the poor work harder and get poorer…
Dango bong
just pull the plug on this ridiculous event that nobody cares about or will attend
Dango bong
its like the grammys or oscars.... nobody cares
shogun36
So how many “types” of pavilions are there? 26?
in typical fashion, they had to make it as complicated as possible.
who's keeping track of all of that anyways?
and where do they get the figures of an “extra 7.7 Billion yen?” Aren’t they already over budget by at least 69 Trillion yen?
Japantime
A lot of people against this event, but when it opens I think there will be a lot of people trying to get tickets and lining up to enter. Remember this is the opportunity for people to learn about other countries and experience them first hand. This will be the biggest international event in the World next year as well, so it will attract a lot of international visitors.
koiwaicoffee
Look at that picture. That's like a hundred people meeting in Nara, all expenses paid. Attending a "conference" with no practical goals, having a good time in Nara at the expense of whoever is paying for it -not them, of course. That's what this Expo is about.
GuruMick
Japan time above...have you heard about "air travel "
Experience other countries for a similar cost of attending Expo.
diobrando
Another waste of our money just for prestigeand cash backto LPD and their friends in the construction business and communication (dentsu), totally useless for us meamwhile all prices are rising but not salaries...
sakurasuki
7.7 billion yen that's US$48.3 million, that's 3.2% increase for final current cost.
How much in total? 235 billion yen, some of them is being paid by tax payer.
https://wam.ae/article/b3udgvq-expo-2025-osaka-pavilion-cost-may-further-increase
Moonraker
Otherwise known as taxpayer.
SaikoPhysco
Well they couldn't just let these specialized construction companies go bankrupt. This 2025 World Expo bid is more about funding and funnelling money to politically entrenched construction companies than the Expo. And I like what GuruMick said about it too.
Chico3
I knew this and it's going to continue to go up. It would have been a lot better if they used the previous Osaka venue and just updated it. It would have saved tons of yen and still made a profit. Not to mention, there's a monorail already in place that goes from Itami Airport, along with connecting with city train stations, too. It sounds like they're reinventing the wheel with a completely new venue.
DanteKH
7500¥ for an adult entry ticket??
No thank you.
opheliajadefeldt
235 billion yen=1,373,050,736.51 Euros, or £1,159,276,992.55 in UK money. What an absolute waste of time, resources and of course money, and for who, a selected few? But then we must not forget the back handers, brown envelopes, and under the table deals, that will undoubtibly fill the pockets of the chosen few.
kurisupisu
And even after the Expo, there is no clear plan as to the future of the constructed buildings.
Bearing in mind that the public has largely paid for them then what will the benefit to the public be?
Derek Grebe
What a massive surprise.
LDP/Construction industry/Yaks sign a contract for something nobody really wants.
Suddenly, for no valid reason and without consultation, the costs increase exponentially.
Taxpayers pick up the tab and say “Shoganai “
Rinse and repeat.
GW
Another man made disaster....what a shame!
Speed
Boy, the way they throw so much money around.
JRO
The answer lies in who's relatives owns or have money invested in these construction companies, I'd say I would be very surprised if there is no connection to those making these decisions.
Speed
I went to the 70 Osaka Expo but don't remember much of it since I was so little.
But I do remember my mom, who wasn't rich by any means, telling me it was pretty cheap to enter so she decided to stop by.
Oh, I remember getting lost and sitting along with dozens of other kids in the lost and found.
wanderlust
@kurisupisu - post exhibition plans are well known - an integrated resort aka casino will be built next door, utilising much of the infrastructure. Some of the building has already started.
kurisupisu
@wanderlust
Actually, my post relates to the buildings being constructed for the ‘Expo’ not the road infrastructure nor the construction of the casino and related buildings.
My question is who will benefit from those buildings, built with public money?
That has not been decided as far as I know.
kohakuebisu
The backstory here is that the island it's on should never have been built and is a Showa-era overdevelopment project that nearly bankrupted the Osaka government. They've been looking for some use of the land for years. This included the failed Osaka Olympic bid.
If the Expo were to be a big success, long delays and/or huge overcrowding on transport to get there are likely to happen.
Moonraker
Wonder what kind of apologist for this extravagant corporate welfare doesn't want us to be reminded that the taxpayer is footing the bill. Why not defend it, why don't you?
Aoi Azuuri
Neo-liberalism far-right party "Ishin" only reduce administrative services under the name of "reform", and just benefit stakeholders by intermediate exploitation. for example, Covid19 deaths per population at their territory "Osaka" is worst in Japan.
Expo 2025 symbolizes such their incompetence and neglecting safety.
Event place of Expo2025 is above final waste disposal site, Methane gas generated, and it exploded under construction. But, Expo2025 association disclosured nothing besides one of photo, avoided even report to many other countries. Osaka governor intends to invite school children to such dangerous places.
Besides, it's also smelling like rotten egg.
dougthehead13
International exhibitions and large mass events are becoming obsolete by 2025. Thanks to today's technology, you can see almost everything from home, at the click of a button.
Big mistake on the part of the LDP and Ishin. The opposition will eat them with potatoes in the next elections as there will be no cost benefit in the Osaka Expo. Rather, it is a gigantic public expense, disproportionate as money thrown into the garbage.
What a mess they have gotten themselves into.
smithinjapan
And that's after costs have already gone up again, and again, and again, for an event almost no one wanted to begin with, and for which the money would have been much better spent elsewhere. Another boondoggle and egg on the face of Japan, and in particular Osaka. But hey, it was all Covid's fault a couple of years back, then all the fault of the war in Ukraine, and now all the fault of foreign nations who won't engage in the bid-rigging here of their own accord.
Mr Goodman
How about a massive sculpture of the mascot to add some real finesse to the area
Chabbawanga
At least the haemorrhoids mascot will be funny for decades to come.