SHIGA - A fireworks festival that had been promoted as a simultaneous display of more than 10,000 fireworks across three cities on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture was abruptly canceled on August 9, with organizers having failed to submit applications for permits required to hold the event.
The Lake Biwa Three-City Simultaneous Fireworks Festival had been scheduled for August 22 in Nagahama, Hikone and Takashima, with announcements on social media and elsewhere saying more than 10,000 fireworks would be launched across the three locations.
The cancellation was announced suddenly on August 9.
Organizers had not submitted applications to the Shiga Prefectural Government for permits required under the River Act to stage the event on Lake Biwa. The three municipal governments issued warnings on August 6 stating that they were not involved in organizing the festival.
Organizers had also sought payments of 50,000 yen from businesses wishing to operate food stalls and other booths at the event.
A restaurant operator that had already paid the participation fee said the process differed from other events. "At other events, the organizers first screen applicants, and once you are approved to participate, you pay the fee. There was none of that, so that also made me feel something was unusual," the operator said.
Paid spectator tickets are also believed to have been sold.
The organizers said on the event's website that they are consulting legal experts regarding refunds.
Source: TBS
