Is Japan getting a second Universal Studios? Okinawa plans to build the one closest to Taiwan

▲Japan plans to build a second Universal Studios. (Photo / Reporter You t
ru)

Reporter Cai Wenjun / Compiled from international news reports

Will Japan build a second Universal Studios? According to Japanese media reports, Nagasaki Kumpei, president of Universal Studios Osaka, stated that although it is still in the planning stage, Japan’s second Universal Studios is expected to be located in Okinawa.

Kumpei said that the scale of Okinawa’s Universal Studios is expected to be smaller than that of Universal Studios Osaka and Tokyo Disneyland, but it will feature new attractions. Additionally, unlike Universal Studios Osaka, the Okinawa park will not be movie-themed but will instead be a theme park incorporating Okinawan characteristics.

Although the exact location has not yet been determined, Kumpei said that Nago City’s Nago Natural Zoological & Botanical Garden and its surrounding areas are currently being considered as the top candidate site, with hopes to open before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Currently, flights from Taiwan to Okinawa take just one and a half hours, and once the Okinawa Universal Studios is completed, it is expected to become “the Universal Studios closest to Taiwan.”