Osaka may need to reassess its plans for an integrated resort, including potentially downsizing its previous investment expectations, as a result of the global impact of COVID-19, according to the Managing director of Kansai Association of Corporate Executives.
Ken Furuichi, who is also Vice Chairman of Nippon Life Insurance Co Ltd, told the Mainichi Shimbun that the spread of coronavirus may change the world forever with governments and business needing to adapt to a new reality.
“In a post-coronavirus world, we will have to reassess things to see if they can be realized in their current form,” he said. Furuichi added that MGM Resorts International, the sole contender to develop an Osaka IR, and the prefecture were already looking at their options, including reducing the scale of the IR they hope to build on Osaka’s Yumeshima Island.
Likewise, Furuichi said the 2025 World Expo in Osaka should be transformed into a global celebration with identical events held concurrently around the world. His proposal is to offer the same experience as that on Yumeshima in venues across the world, including Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles and others, using the latest communication technology.
“It would be the first Expo held in collaboration will all corners of the world at the same time,” he said.
The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which oversees the expo, has previously expressed its preference for keeping the event at one venue.
RelatedPosts
