{
  "id": 5113331,
  "title": "Elderly couple donates 400 million yen to erect Myaku-Myaku statue in Osaka",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/02/elderly-couple-donates-400-million-yen-to-erect-myaku-myaku-statue-in",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-02T15:00:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "SoraNews24",
    "slug": "soranews24",
    "url": "https://soranews24.com/2026/09/03/elderly-couple-donates-400-million-yen-to-erect-myaku-myaku-statue-in-osaka/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nearly a year after the 2025 World Expo concluded in Osaka, the event's mascot Myaku-Myaku continues to enjoy widespread popularity. Despite its unconventional appearance, featuring both cute and grotesque characteristics, the mascot has become widely recognized, with merchandise and games still in demand. A surprising donation of 400 million yen (US$2.5 million) by an elderly couple, Keihachi Fukunishi and Akiyo Fukunishi, both 85 years old, has been made to the City of Osaka. The generous business owners requested that a statue of Myaku-Myaku be erected at the site of the Expo. The husband, Keihachi, compared the mascot to the Tower of the Sun from the 1970 Expo, which, despite initial controversy, was later recognized as a masterpiece and designated as a national cultural property. Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama expressed hope that the statue would become a new symbol for the site. However, there are concerns about the potential costs of building the statue, and some question the \"accelerated deliberation\" process used by politicians to delay decisions. The donors, both in their 80s, may not have heirs to pass their wealth on to, and they could have chosen to donate the money to address local issues, such as deteriorating drainage pumps in the southern part of the city. Regardless, the idea of a giant Myaku-Myaku statue defining Osaka's skyline has garnered attention and sparked debate.",
  "summary": "Multi-million-dollar Myaku-Myaku donation. It’s been nearly a year since the closing of the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, but its official mascot, the gooey humanoid Myaku-Myaku has managed to secure a popularity that has transcended the event it was created to represent. Myaku-Myaku goods are still widely sold, and game centers are still well stocked […]",
  "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."
}