Junglia: Okinawa's ¥70 billion theme park lost ¥17.3 billion in its first year

Junglia, a ¥70 billion theme park built on a 60-hectare site straddling Nakijin village and Nago city in northern Okinawa, opened in July 2025 to high expectations it would extend tourist stays in the region and stimulate local economic growth. It was planned by Katana, an Osaka marketing company whose president and CEO Tsuyoshi Morioka is known for his role in revitalizing Universal Studios Japan.

The park attracted about 1 million visitors by July 2026 — apparently far below its estimates. Japan Entertainment Holdings, the parent company of the park's operator, ran into severe financial difficulties in the year ended June 2026, and Junglia closed its first business year with a net loss of ¥17.3 billion due to sluggish ticket sales.

At a general shareholders' meeting in Naha, CEO Takeshi Kato said the loss 'will not affect our services provided to customers or various contracts and transactions with other companies' and that the park would 'continue to operate as usual.'

The ¥70 billion build bet on visitor volumes northern Okinawa never delivered: 1 million guests in year one fell apparently far below internal estimates.

The park's selling point — extending tourist stays — asked travelers to change behaviour, not just add one more stop to an existing itinerary.

The Morioka track record at Universal Studios Japan lent credibility to a plan whose scale made misreading demand ruinous.

A founder's halo from one hit doesn't transfer demand: Junglia's planner had revived Universal Studios Japan, but a remote ¥70 billion park still has to fill its own gates.

Japan Entertainment Holdings told shareholders it needed to take drastic measures to improve the business, explaining its financial situation and future business plans at the September 2026 meeting. CEO Kato stressed the loss would not affect services to customers or contracts with other companies, and that operations would continue as usual.