The long-awaited Osaka International Convention Center has now been completed in the Kansai capital's Nakanoshima area and will open April 1.
Among tenants moving into the new facility are the Kansai Press Club and Kansai International Public Relations Promotion Office.
The opening of this full-scale international convention center is important for Osaka, which has lagged behind other international cities such as Tokyo and Kyoto. Tokyo boasts such facilities as the Tokyo Forum and the Japan Convention Center at Makuhari Messe, while Kyoto has the Kyoto International Conference Hall.