※Delivered on Saturday, December 21st at 11:32 Nikkan Gendai Digital With less than four months to go until the opening of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, advance tickets are not selling. As soon as sales exceeded the 7 million allocated to the business community out of the target of 14 million, the pace of sales suddenly slowed. Since about 80% of the Expo’s operating costs of 116 billion yen are planned to be covered by ticket sales, poor sales will directly translate into a deficit. It cannot be denied that there is a possibility that tax money will be used to make up for the loss. ◇◇◇ On the 20th, Osaka Prefecture and City established the “Osaka Protocol Room” as a department responsible for welcoming distinguished guests from Japan and abroad visiting the Expo. Governor Yoshimura and former Osaka Vice Governor Hiroshi Ueda, who was appointed “chief of protocol,” held up the sign inside the Asia-Pacific Trade Center (Suminoe Ward). The Protocol Room will be responsible for overall coordination of visits by members of the Imperial Family and the Governor’s attendance at Expo-related events. It is also said to play a role in facilitating matching between foreign dignitaries staying in Japan for business purposes and local companies. In addition to strengthening hospitality, the city is also keen to create business opportunities, as befits a “town of merchants.” However, sales of tickets, the real issue, appear to be in decline. The Expo Association, the organizer of the event, expects a total of 28.2 million visitors and has set a sales target of 23 million tickets overall. As of the 18th, approximately 7.44 million advance tickets had been sold, but this is only about half of the target of 14 million. In September, sales averaged about 400,000 masks per week, but since mid-October, when sales at companies’ expense exceeded 7 million masks, sales have fallen to an average of about 30,000 masks. In response to poor sales, the Expo Association proposed that sponsors Kansai Electric Power and Osaka Gas each purchase an additional 50,000 masks. KEPCO increased its quota from the initial 200,000 to 250,000, while Osaka Gas increased its quota from 150,000 to 200,000. They are also working hard to develop merchandise to cover the remaining operating costs. The official online store is stocked with products in collaboration with popular Sanrio characters and the Hanshin Tigers. Of the total 1,393 items currently listed, 36 are out of stock. Most of the items were in the low price range, but items such as Takasaki Daruma dolls decorated with Myaku-Myaku motifs (5,940 yen including tax) and happi coats (11,000 yen including tax) were also sold out. We asked the Expo Association about the sales status of tickets and merchandise, but a public relations representative said, “We cannot answer right away.” Where exactly is the red line? At the House of Representatives Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry on the 18th, a METI official explained that “even if only 80% of the expected number of visitors attend, we will break even.” In other words, the breakeven point would be 18.4 million tickets. To avoid a loss, the remaining 11 million tickets need to be sold. ■The government has left the response to the Expo Association Continued below Osaka Expo tickets are not selling at all…If they don’t sell all 11 million tickets, they will be in the red, and the break-even point is 18.4 million tickets, but about 7.44 million tickets have already been sold.
Well, Osaka Prefecture will take responsibility for the deficit, right? If they start relying on the national government, the Ishin Party will be finished.
I don’t really understand the content. What’s there to see? I know there’s a wooden ring, a toilet made of sad rocks, and a rest area where rocks might fall from above.
I went to Expo Memorial Park the other day where the Tower of the Sun is located. The tower was amazing. I saw the exhibits in the Pavilion Memorial Hall and the models from back then. It was so exciting. It was an event from half a century ago, and even though I was just looking at the materials, the excitement was amazing. I wonder what the difference is between that amazing feeling and how lame this time was.
The Restoration Party would have wanted to make this an achievement, but with the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the start of war, they’ve run out of luck.
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