Universal Studios Japan to Expand Osaka Park for First Time with 30,000-Square-Metre Site

USJ will expand Universal Studios Japan in Osaka for the first time since 2001 after securing a 30,000-square-metre plot from the city government. The transaction adds roughly 5.5 per cent to the existing 540,000-square-metre footprint, which drew 16 million visitors in fiscal 2024.

City officials confirmed the municipal government will lease the plot on the northern edge of the park to the operator. USJ approached the city in April 2026 to negotiate long-term access, aiming to build new attractions that increase visitor capacity.

Expanding the Waterfront Footprint

Nippon Steel currently leases the 30,000-square-metre parcel and will return it to the city in June 2027. Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama backed the transaction as part of a broader municipal effort to revitalize the Osaka Bay waterfront district.

Theme park operators across Asia are adding real estate to capture rising international tourism flows, competing directly with major resort expansions in Tokyo, Hong Kong and mainland China. In Osaka, physical boundary constraints have long limited USJ to redeveloping internal zones rather than adding raw land.

Next Steps Toward the 2028 Lease

Before construction can begin, USJ is running environmental surveys to test for soil contamination across the industrial site. The final lease contract between the municipal government and the park operator is scheduled for completion in 2028.