The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition is tackling transportation challenges after a service suspension on Osaka Metro Co.’s Chuo Line stranded visitors at the site last week. On Monday, the association admitted that information sharing about the incident was insufficient, vowing to improve its handling of such cases.
As Golden Week approaches with Showa Day on April 29th, ‘Barrier Free Japan’ & ‘Disability News Japan’ has been busy! Here is a digest of recent news stories about disability issues in Japan.
Elderly visitors are struggling to look for pavilions on digital maps and make reservations online at the ongoing World Exposition in the western Japan city of Osaka. This has drawn complaints such as “I don’t know how to make reservations for pavilions,” and “I can’t get to places I want to go.”
A preview ceremony was held Sunday for the “Osaka Healthcare Pavilion” to be run by the prefecture and city of Osaka at the 2025 World Exposition, which begins next month in the western Japan city. Inside the pavilion, a myocardial cell sheet using induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cell technology and an experience-based area where avatars are generated based on visitors’ health data were shown to the press.
Following a health scandal involving its “beni koji” dietary supplement products, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. said on Friday that it will withdraw from the 2025 World Expo in Osaka. The company had been preparing to sponsor a healthcare pavilion to be run by the prefecture and city of Osaka and others and also planning to run its own booth.
“According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, this is approach is following the example set by Tokyo, which is preparing for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The policy is to make more detailed regulations that affect the city, such as making public facilities barrier-free.”
Barrier Free Japan