Nearly 70 Pct of Japanese Firms See Expo Economic Benefits

Tokyo, Oct. 16 (Jiji Press)–Nearly 70 pct of Japanese companies believe that the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka was beneficial to the domestic economy, a survey by research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd. showed Thursday. The proportion of companies that cited positive economic impacts from the Expo, held in the western Japan city from April 13 through Monday, reached 67.5 pct. In a survey conducted in April before the event’s opening, only 43.5 pct expressed hope for such impacts. According to the latest survey, 23.4 pct said that the benefits were greater than expected, while 44.0 pct said that the benefits matched their expectations. A combined 32.5 pct said that the economic benefits did not quite meet or fell short of their expectations. By region, the Kinki western region had the highest proportion of companies that reported benefits, at 81.3 pct, followed by the Kyushu southwestern region, at 73.9 pct, and the Shikoku western region, at 71.0 pct. The Tokai central region posted the lowest figure, at 54.5 pct. “We did not feel any (positive) effects in the Kanto (eastern) region, and even suffered from shortages of construction materials and their soaring costs,” said an employee of a construction firm in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. The online survey was conducted from Oct. 9 to Tuesday. Valid responses were received from 1,058 companies. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]