The site of the methane gas explosion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo venue was opened to the media on Tuesday, revealing the area where the explosion occurred during restroom construction in March this year, when a spark from welding ignited flammable gas. It was found that methane gas had accumulated underground.

The Umeda area in Osaka is seeing a surge in high-rise apartment construction, including a 49-story residential skyscraper south of JR Osaka Station.

A ceremony marking the start of collaboration between JR Freight, which handles cargo transportation by rail, and Nestle Japan, a food manufacturer dealing with products like coffee, was held on Wednesday afternoon, to mark the start of regular mid-distance transportation from Nestle's factory in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture to Osaka City in February, a first for Japan's food and beverage industry.

This summer, Osaka's symbol, Tsutenkaku, will unveil a new attraction, and reporter Maho Yamamoto got a sneak preview.