Yumeshima Island

Yumeshima is the name of a reclaimed island in Konohana Ward, Osaka City, with an area of about 390 hectares, and it is known as the landfill area adjacent to the district where Universal Studios Japan is located. Beginning in 1970, this land was filled with incineration residue and construction soil as a waste disposal site. In the 1980s, the ‘Technoport Osaka Plan’ explored how to make effective use of the artificial island, but the plan was shelved after the collapse of the economic bubble. Osaka also bid to host the 2008 Olympics, but the bid failed, and for a time the island was treated as a ‘negative legacy.’ However, after being selected in 2018 as the planned venue for the 2025 Osaka–Kansai Expo, Yumeshima drew renewed attention, and various urban development concepts are now being examined with the aim of creating a futuristic city. Transportation infrastructure plans include an extension of JR West’s JR Sakurajima Line, an extension of the Osaka Metro Chuo Line, and involvement by Kintetsu Group Holdings in building out transit access. In addition, with the integrated resort (IR) concept that includes a casino, major developers have already begun projects in nearby Sakishima.