OSAKA -- Details of the Universal Studios Japan theme park were unveiled at a news conference Friday, with USJ officials announcing that construction would begin in October this year as scheduled, and expressing confidence in the handling of environmental problems that have come up.
USJ president Toshio Dozaki said the new park will include 18 rides and shows, including attractions based on the movies "Jurassic Park," "Jaws" and "E.T."
In addition, three attractions have been designed specifically for Japan, including an attraction based on cartoon character Woody Woodpecker and two attractions aimed at young children based on Snoopy from the Peanuts comic strip, said Robert Gault, a USJ executive.
On the issue of buried waste on a portion of the site, Gault said that Universal Studios has held the city to the same environmental standards used for Universal's theme park operations in Florida and California. He added that, should any additional problems be discovered between now and the beginning of construction, USJ officials would make another assessment.
Although prices for admission and concessions have not been set yet, Gault said they were likely to be similar to Tokyo Disneyland's original prices.
Universal Studios Japan is being built on 156 hectares in the west waterfront district of Osaka's Konohana Ward. Osaka city hopes to build hotels, offices, and shopping and entertainment complexes in the surrounding area, as well as invite multimedia and audiovisual companies to the district.