Overview
- The Future Creation Council, which held its first meeting Tuesday in Osaka, named Kansai Economic Federation chairman Masayoshi Matsumoto as representative and confirmed Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama as members.
- The council’s goal is to turn technologies showcased at the Osaka–Kansai Expo into products and services that people can use in daily life.
- Early targets include next‑generation mobility such as flying cars, regenerative medicine such as iPS cell–derived cardiac sheets, carbon‑neutral tools such as perovskite solar cells, and support for startup companies.
- Leaders said they will build field‑specific support teams, appoint project leads as needed, and set up a new corporation to receive Expo surplus funds, with concrete measures due this summer.
- Reports say the operating surplus is estimated at ¥320–370 billion, and a national expert panel is debating uses that include tech deployment, cultural programs, and upkeep of the Expo’s large roof ring.