April 13, 2024

The Japanese Communist Party Osaka Prefectural Committee on April 12 held a press conference in Osaka City and published a statement which criticizes a plan to invite school children to the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo for exposing them to the danger of a gas explosion, demanding the cancellation of the event.

The JCP in its statement pointed out that along with Osaka Prefecture which hosts the Expo, Hyogo and some neighboring prefectures intend to invite students in elementary, junior high, and high schools to the Expo.

For example, the Osaka Prefectural government has announced a project which requires elementary, junior high, and high schools in the prefecture to have their students attend the Expo. The Hyogo Prefectural government plans to organize an excursion to the Expo for public elementary and secondary schools as well as for special education schools as a school event.

The JCP statement pointed out that at the Expo site, which is located in Yumeshima, an artificial island created on landfill waste, methane generation from underground and emissions continue and a methane gas explosion accident occurred on March 28. It also pointed out that the Expo organizer so far failed to present any emergency evacuation plan. It stated that despite the Expo’s main theme focusing on “future lives”, it could make children face a threat to their lives at the venue and thus it is unacceptable to take school children to such a dangerous place.

The JCP statement pointed out that the rightist “Nippon Ishin no Kai” party-led Osaka Prefectural and city governments, which work for the sake of the business community and a handful of large corporations, intend to use the Expo as an opportunity to promote deregulation which prioritizes profits over people’s lives.

Furthermore, the statement pointed to the fact that in addition to ground subsidence on the artificial island, there is no end in sight for swelling Expo-related expenses as shown by the escalating construction cost which has nearly doubled from the initial estimate. Noting that taxpayers’ money is used to fund the Expo, the JCP in its statement stressed that the Expo should be cancelled in order not to impose further burdens as well as dangers on the general public.

Past related articles:
> JCP Osaka demands cancellation of Osaka Expo to focus on post-disaster recovery [January 12, 2024]
> Total costs pertaining to Osaka Expo may rise further [December 21, 2023]