OSAKA - Universal Studios Japan is considering its first expansion since opening in 2001, with plans to use about 60,000 square meters of former Nippon Steel factory land adjacent to the park and potentially increase its total area by roughly 10%.
According to Kyodo News, the proposed expansion site lies directly north of Donkey Kong Country, the newest section of Super Nintendo World.
The largely vacant former factory site currently contains little remaining industrial infrastructure, although around 10 pieces of heavy machinery have been brought in and work is underway.
USJ opened in 2001 and attracted more than 10 million visitors within its first year, but attendance weakened for roughly the following decade. The park later staged a strong recovery by introducing major new attractions, including The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Super Nintendo World.
Super Nintendo World opened in 2021 at a reported investment of about 60 billion yen, while the Harry Potter area opened in 2014 after an investment of about 45 billion yen.
Some reports have suggested the latest expansion could involve investment of around 300 billion yen, putting it on a scale several times larger than those earlier projects.
Aviation and travel analyst Kotaro Toriumi, who is also familiar with the theme park industry, said a new area centered on anime or video game characters was the strongest possibility.
USJ was originally built around Hollywood movies, but Toriumi said anime and game characters have become a major force behind the park's popularity among both Japanese visitors and international tourists.
He said the new development could therefore feature a major Japanese anime or gaming franchise, with Pokemon among the possible candidates.
USJ announced a new Pokemon-related project in January, although details have not yet been disclosed.
Toriumi said other possibilities include expanding an existing area such as Super Nintendo World, adding hotels, or introducing new experiential attractions, potentially including pools or other forms of interactive entertainment.
He added that Hollywood-based attractions could still have a place in the expansion, but said Japanese characters would likely remain the core of USJ's growth strategy because of their popularity with both domestic and overseas visitors.
The possibility of higher ticket prices is also drawing attention.
A one-day ticket cost 5,500 yen when USJ opened in 2001. The park now uses variable pricing, with the highest one-day admission price reaching 11,900 yen during peak periods.
Toriumi said prices are likely to rise further because of inflation and the scale of the expected investment. Another possibility, he said, would be to charge a separate admission fee for the new area.
He noted that admission prices at major U.S. theme parks are often around $120 to $150, or roughly 20,000 yen, leaving room for further increases in Japan.
At the same time, Toriumi said he would prefer a pricing system that keeps admission at around 7,000 yen to 8,000 yen during less crowded periods through dynamic pricing.
He said the investment appeared commercially viable because USJ has a broad customer base. The park drew strong numbers of overseas visitors last year, while Japanese guests have also returned in large numbers following the end of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Toriumi said USJ's strength lies in its ability to attract both international tourists and Japanese visitors, reducing the risk associated with such a large expansion.
Source: KTV NEWS
