Osaka Expo reverses no-smoking policy despite methane ignition fears
Until now, those who wished to smoke had to leave the 155-hectare venue and go to one of two designated areas outside its east gate. The lack of accessible smoking spots prompted some staff and participants to smoke in unauthorized areas.
The organizing committee said it made the decision after staff who smoke complained about the inconvenience of walking across the large venue to reach the smoking areas.
One of the new smoking areas will be set up on the western side of the venue, according to the committee.
In March 2024, an explosion occurred when sparks from welding ignited methane gas, fanning concerns that the substance accumulating underground at the venue could cause a serious accident during the global event, which many world leaders are scheduled to visit.
Jun Takashina, a deputy secretary general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, said at a press conference on Monday that the smoking areas "will be installed in places where the fire department does not prohibit open flames."
Health experts, meanwhile, have pointed out the issue of secondhand smoke, saying that allowing smoking, even in designated areas, runs counter to the Osaka expo's theme of building a sustainable society and improving lives.
They added one of the two existing smoking areas outside the east gate is already exposing others to secondhand smoke.
"We live in a world where a smoking ban in public places is a common practice," said Bungaku Watanabe, director of the nonprofit organization Japan Society for Tobacco Control.
"It would be best to totally ban smoking at the expo," he added.
Tomoyasu Hirano, a professor of human sciences at Osaka University of Economics, said that if the expo organizer allows smoking within the venue, designated areas must be completely separated from visitor flow to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke and complaints about the smell.
© KYODO
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