Osaka Governor Sees G-20 Summit Helping 2025 Expo Bid

Osaka, Feb. 21 (Jiji Press)--Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui expressed his belief Wednesday that the selection of Osaka, western Japan, as the venue for the Group of 20 summit for 2019 will be a tailwind for its bid to host the 2025 World Expo. "Holding the G-20 summit will raise Osaka's city status, and we'll be able to get the message across (the world) that it is a city with great potential," Matsui told a press conference. This will have "a very positive effect" on Osaka's bid to host the world expo, he stressed. The Japanese government on Tuesday decided to hold the 2019 summit of the 20 advanced and emerging economies in Osaka. Japan will be next year's chair for the G-20 forum. The Osaka prefectural government and the municipal government of the city of Osaka, the prefectural capital, have jointly applied to host the G-20 summit, planning to offer the Intex Osaka convention center in the city's waterfront area as the venue for the gathering. The prefectural and municipal governments plan to set up a joint promotion office in fiscal 2018 to prepare for the summit. Matsui said that he was informed of the government decision by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga through phone calls from them on Tuesday. Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters at the city office on Wednesday, "We hope to dramatically raise Osaka's international recognition by successfully holding the G-20 summit, and leverage the achievement for our bid to host the world expo." END