Expoland, located in

Suita is a city located in northern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. As of October 1, 2016, the city has an estimated population of 378,322 and a population density of 9,880 persons per km². The total area is 36.11 km². The city was founded on April 1, ...

, Japan was opened as the amusement zone at the

International Exposition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

in 1970 (

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

) in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

and thrived for over 30 years as an amusement park. There were more than 40 rides and attractions (including 8 roller coasters) and 19 restaurants and shops. The park was permanently closed in 2009. On May 5, 2007, Fujin Raijin II, the park's

TOGO Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

stand-up coaster, derailed, killing Yoshino Kogawara, a 19-year-old university student from Higashiomi,

Shiga is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Shiga Prefecture has a population of 1,412,916 (1 October 2015) and has a geographic area of . Shiga Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu Prefecture to the nort ...

and injuring an additional nineteen guests. Initial reports said that forty people were injured, with thirty-one being taken to hospital. An investigation revealed that the ride derailed due to a broken axle. None of the ride vehicle's axles had been replaced for fifteen years. Following this accident, similar coasters at other Japanese parks were voluntarily shut down and inspected to see if they could also have the same axle flaw. Expoland was cited by authorities for faulty maintenance when similar axle cracks were found on a second train a month later. The park reopened after the accident but closed again on December 9, 2007, citing a lack of attendance. On February 9, 2009, its owners decided to close the park down permanently.

References

External links

*Archive o
Official website
{{Coord, 34, 48, 20, N, 135, 32, 06, E, display=title, region:JP-27_type:landmark_source:dewiki Tourist attractions in Osaka Prefecture 2007 in Japan Buildings and structures in Osaka Prefecture Defunct amusement parks in Japan Expo '70 1970 establishments in Japan 2009 disestablishments in Japan Suita World's fair sites in Osaka Amusement parks opened in 1970 Amusement parks closed in 2009