Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura of Osaka prefecture and Mayor Ichiro Matsui of Osaka city, who were both elected in the Osaka Double Cross election on 7 April, have reaffirmed their views on a local IR in interviews with media outlets, including the Asahi Shimbun.
Yoshimura and Matsui are both motivated to ensure the success of the meeting of 20 major countries and regions in June this year (G20 summit) in Osaka and the 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo, but they also touched upon the IR issue.
Governor Yoshimura said, “We would like to request concepts from the operators by summer.”
Regarding the facilities, he remarked, “We would like to achieve a global standard setting and synergy with the World Expo.”
But he made no mention of the opening schedule for 2024, and instead said, “There will be a public offering after Fall. The goal is to be open and running by the time of the 2025 World Expo.”
Mayor Matsui, who has asserted leadership as governor of Osaka in the past, stated, “The city and prefecture have been working as one on this. We are at the forefront of the entire nation.”
Regarding the 2025 World Expo site, it was expressed that Yoshimura’s plan would continue to be promoted along with IR promotion, but the concerns of the people hadn’t been forgotten.
“The biggest problem is noise. Environmental assessments must be strict because it may have an impact on the surrounding area,” Matsui said.
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