Japan Press Weekly

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2025 August 13 - 19 TOP3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Osaka Pref., City, and Expo Assn. treat unpaid construction costs as someone else’s problem

Akahata ‘current’ column (excerpts)

While Osaka Prefectural Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi boasts that “Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai” is a success, it has come to light that more than a dozen subcontractors remain unpaid for their work constructing foreign pavilions.

Reportedly, construction costs for the pavilions of at least ten countries, including the United States, China, Germany, India, Malta, and Angola, have not been paid to subcontractors, and the total unpaid amount exceeds 400 million yen. The unpaid subcontractors are raising their voices in anguish, saying such things as, “I sold my land to pay the overdue bills,” and “I couldn’t pay my son’s tuition, so he had to quit college.”

However, the national government, Osaka prefectural and city governments, and the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition are avoiding their responsibility as if it were someone else’s problem. By asserting that it is a private-sector issue, they are urging the parties involved to resolve the issue through direct negotiations among themselves. The national government and local authorities should instruct and supervise prime contractors to ensure that all payments are made. The Expo Association should also ensure that all businesses involved in the Expo comply with related-laws and regulations.

Non-paying companies include a foreign event enterprise and unauthorized construction firms. The Expo project was unattractive to major Japanese construction companies because of the unfavorable soft ground conditions at the site and the short construction period. Additionally, with the support of the prefectural government and the Expo Association, foreign companies and those with suspicious backgrounds were allowed to enter the Expo construction market.

Under an Expo slogan, “for a future society where life shines brightly,” it is unacceptable for the livelihoods and businesses of subcontractors that worked hard to construct the Expo venue to be destroyed. Advance payments or emergency loans should be provided to them without delay. Supervising ministries should conduct guidance to the Expo Association in accordance with the Construction Industry Act.

Past related article:
> Subcontractors unpaid for Expo construction costs seek gov’t help [July 17, 2025]