{
  "id": 3121807,
  "title": "Osaka Couple Donate 400 Million Yen for Giant Myaku-Myaku Statue at Expo Site",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/osaka-couple-donate-400-million-yen-for-giant-myaku-myaku-statue-at",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-24T21:32:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "News On Japan",
    "slug": "news-on-japan",
    "url": "https://newsonjapan.com/article/150500.php"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "An 85-year-old couple from Osaka donated a combined 400 million yen to the city of Osaka, requesting the funds be utilized for the creation of a towering 20-meter high Myaku-Myaku statue at the former site of the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Keihachi Fukunishi and his wife each contributed 200 million yen on August 24, receiving certificates of appreciation from Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama. The Fukunishis aim to establish the statue as a permanent symbol of the expo and renewed prosperity for Kansai and Japan, envisioning it to be visible from a distance and resembling the Tower of the Sun from the 1970 Osaka Expo. Located at Yumeshima, the commemorative park zone planned for the redevelopment of the former expo site would cover approximately 2.9 hectares, preserving about 200 meters of the Grand Ring and creating a green public space that supports technology, business, and cultural exchanges. The statue is expected to be a realistic size, roughly proportional to the height of the Grand Ring, but would require adequate structural support to withstand natural elements like typhoons and earthquakes. The Fukunishis hope business communities will aid the project through crowdfunding.",
  "summary": "An 85-year-old couple have donated a combined 400 million yen to Osaka City with a request that the money be used to create a giant Myaku-Myaku statue about 20 meters tall at the former site of the Osaka-Kansai Expo, envisioning a landmark that could become a lasting symbol of the event and of renewed prosperity for Kansai and Japan. (News On Japan)",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}