Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Expo Ends Next Week, Set to Turn a Profit on Operating Costs
After an historic 6 month run, and years of tumult in the buildup, the Osaka international Expo will close its doors for the final time next Monday.
Organizers said repeatedly in the run up to the Expo’s opening, on April 13th this year, that breaking even on their running costs was a top priority.
Well, it seems they’ve done significantly better than that. Reports published today suggest the event will close out with an operating profit of around 28 billion yen ($126 Million US).
No firm decision has yet been made on what to do with these leftover funds. However, organizers said, they intend to use the funds to “ensure the legacy of the Expo is preserved”.
One idea that seems to be gaining traction is the preservation of part or all of the “Grand Ring” wooden structure that encircled the Expo site. This could involve leaving some sections where they are, as a permanent memorial to the event.
Alternatively, the option of dismantling the entire structure and preserving its components for future re-use is also on the table.
Operating Profit Does Little to Dissuade Expo Detractors
Despite this positive note to mark the Expo’s closure, many in Osaka remain angry that it ever happened in the first place.
One senior resident of Minato Ward had this to say: “Every time I see that eyesore on TV I’m reminded of how much public money was wasted in throwing it all together. It was nothing but a needless vanity project. One that the people of Osaka will spend years paying for in higher taxes.”
He added: “Every penny of profit they made should be reinvested in making the lives of Osaka’s people better.”
Whilst slightly hyperbolic, the somewhat agitated gentleman who gave us this statement does have a point.
The Expo ran into numerous cost overruns and budgetary crises during its inception and construction. Some workers from certain pavilions claim to this day that they still haven’t been paid for their labor. Sadly,it seems that controversy and resentment may ultimately play a large role in shaping the expo’s legacy in Osaka.
Osaka Political Party Set to Profit from First Female Prime Minister Election
Members of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party made political history last week. They nominated Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first ever female Prime Minister. A protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, Takaichi shares many of his very conservative views on issues such as defense and immigration policy.
These positions, however, have put the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito, in something of a bind.
They are a pacifist party, and one that favors integration over exclusion when it comes to foreigners. Komeito now find themselves directly at odds with much of the policy platform on which Takaichi was elected.
However, The LDP lacks a working majority in either house of Japan’s parliament. So, Takaichi cannot pass any legislation without some kind of coalition agreement.
As we mentioned last month, several of the candidates for the LDP leadership have already reached out to the Japan Innovation Party, Osaka’s biggest party.
As a center-right party, they seem like the most natural allies of the LDP. JIP leader, and Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura again confirmed this week, that he is willing to hold discussions with Takaichi and her new administration about a coalition agreement.
Several Factors Complicate Coalition Moves
However, there are a number of complicating factors. One of the JIP’s most important policies, and indeed a major vote-winner in Osaka, is their wish to make the city a “vice-capital” of Japan. They see the decentralization of power from Tokyo as crucial to Japan’s future, and Osaka’s prosperity. The LDP do not share this vision. Also, any agreement by the LDP would necessitate not fielding opposing candidates in JIP held seats. That would, in effect, mean that Japan’s biggest political party withdrawing entirely from most of the Kansai region.
There are inherent risks for the JIP in pursuing a coalition too. Thanks to the ongoing fallout from a series of money scandals that hit the LDP last year, a deal with them could cost the JIP a lot of votes. Many in Osaka voted for them because they reject the LDP, so going into a coalition could be seen, by some voters, as a betrayal.
Whatever happens, the next few months will be interesting as coalition talks progress. It seems certain that Takaichi will have to moderate and perhaps rethink some of her policies, whichever coalition partner she opts to go with.
And Finally…
Congratulations to Osaka University’s own Professor Shimon Sakaguchi, who was named as a joint winner of this year’s Nobel prize for medicine.
His achievement comes in recognition of his research into “Regulatory T-cells”. These blood cells help regulate immune response. Possible applications for this research, which started back in 1995, include treatments for diabetes and various cancers.
Professor Sakaguchi thanked his with Noriko, also a respected name in the field. He called her his “constant comrade” through years of hard work and dedicated research.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
