NAHA—With a hefty price tag totaling 70 billion yen ($483 million), Junglia Okinawa's roller coaster-esque journey is barreling toward another summit as the theme park's much-anticipated July 25 opening nears.

The construction of a theme park in the northern part of the prefecture is a clear departure from Okinawa’s state-led economic promotion measures after the prefecture reverted from U.S. to Japanese rule in 1972.

Junglia is one of the southernmost prefecture's largest private-sector projects ever, but it is not the first. Sour memories are resurfacing in some residents who remember another tourism endeavor that backfired even as expectations rise for the new park.

When finished, Junglia will operate in Yanbaru, the name for the main island’s northern half in the region’s dialect. The mountainous area is about 90 minutes from the prefectural capital by car.

The park, which will reportedly offer more than 20 attractions, is replacing what was a roughly 60-hectare golf course stretching across Nago and Nakijin. A dinosaur-themed ride and hot air balloon experience are among the attractions with an onsite spa as well.

FAILED UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PROJECT

No major undertaking is ever free from complications.

Before Junglia, the operator of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka announced it was opening a park in the northern part of Okinawa’s main island 10 years ago.

The central government strongly backed USJ LLC’s project, with then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying a new theme park was the key component of the government’s economic promotion measures for the prefecture.

However, the project plans were withdrawn about a year later after USJ's management was reshuffled.

Dreams of building a theme park in the area would lie dormant until 2018 when marketing firm Katana Inc. and other companies announced a new plan and set it in motion.

The only remaining tie to USJ was Tsuyoshi Morioka, who played a key role in reviving Universal Studios Japan and went on to found Katana after going independent.

PURPOSEFULLY LOCAL

The local business community has high hopes for Junglia.

Unlike other extensive projects, the park’s operator Japan Entertainment Inc. is based in the prefecture and was specifically founded in June 2018 as part of Katana’s efforts for the theme park and larger goal of revitalizing Okinawa.

Local ownership may provide Okinawa with a better chance to rebound from the unintended “zaru keizai” (sieve economy) conundrum.

The situation is the unfortunate outcome of the government introducing subsidies in an effort to eliminate the financial disparity between the island prefecture and the mainland; Okinawa was ruled by the U.S. military for 27 years following the end of World War II while Honshu experienced rapid economic growth during the same period.

Mainland companies winning contracts for the high-percentage subsidies ultimately made it difficult for locals to benefit from the projects tied to them, something Junglia seeks to avoid.

"It is also a project intended to boost the economy in Okinawa and its northern area," Morioka said during a news conference held in January.

Japan Entertainment has emphasized the importance of hiring locals, saying it will employ a total of about 1,300 full- and part-time workers by the time the park opens.

Junglia’s shareholders also include leading Okinawan corporations such as Orion Breweries Ltd., headquartered in Tomigusuku, and Naha-based department store operator Ryubo Holdings Co.

"It is a private sector-led project of an unprecedented scale,” said Denichiro Ishimine, Okinawa Electric Power Co. adviser and former head of a council for Okinawa-based economic associations. “Located at the gateway to Asia, Okinawa has high international competitiveness for its nature and traditional culture originating from the Ryukyu Kingdom era, and the project can help improve the quality of tourism in Okinawa."

Counterbalancing this sentiment are voices of concern over tourist congestion.

Because Junglia is being built between the prefecture’s expressway and the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Motobu, which is already popular with tourists, it is feared that chronic traffic snarls, noise and other negative impacts could worsen the living environment.

While Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said during a prefectural assembly session that the prefectural government intends to make maximum use of Junglia’s opening to create jobs and develop infrastructure around the site, he added, "We hope that the park operator will continue providing information to local residents and having conversations with them."

POST-EXPO FALLOUT

Some area residents still hold bitter memories of what came after the economic boom driven by the 1975 Okinawa Ocean Expo.

The expo was held three years after Okinawa's return to Japan as part of the central government's First Okinawa Promotion and Development Plan. Today, the aquarium stands on the expo’s former grounds.

Yasukichi Miyagi, 81, a mango farmer in Nakijin near Junglia, owned a construction business at the time.

He worked as a subcontractor for a company outside the prefecture while the expo venue, roads and other facilities were being built. This work required he purchase a small fleet of heavy machinery and hire enough people to fill orders.

But the number of expo visitors fell short of the expected 4.5 million during its half-year run, and many companies that made major investments went bankrupt.

Miyagi's firm escaped bankruptcy but he had to cut staff and equipment to barely break even.

Since then, the village’s population has decreased by about 40 percent from approximately 15,000 in 1950.

Although Miyagi has a sense of crisis that the village could eventually disappear, Junglia is something positive to talk about. That said, it remains uncertain how the large-scale tourism project will affect the community and if those in charge can prevent history from repeating itself.

"I wonder if it will really work," he mumbled.

'INEVITABLE CHALLENGE' REMAINS

According to Moritake Tomikawa, a former vice governor of Okinawa Prefecture who is now a professor emeritus of economics at Okinawa International University, the addition of Junglia could be a way to solve problems such as depopulation and low-income levels.

This applies not just in comparing the prefecture to the mainland, but the island’s regions where the north lags economically behind the south.

Despite the potential windfall, making the prefecture’s economy solely dependent on tourism is still an unstable venture because it is easily influenced by external factors—the COVID-19 pandemic being the most devastating example.

The prefectural government previously promoted manufacturing without much success and Okinawa's industrial structure remains weak.

"As we move forward to achieving Okinawa's economic independence, it is an inevitable challenge to develop another industry on par with tourism," Tomikawa said.