OSAKA -- While economists debate the macroeconomic impact of the FIFA World Cup, which kicked off Friday, Hisako Tanigawa just hopes it will mean extra pocket money for her family.
"If we can do a good luncheon and dinner business, it will hopefully mean an extra 30,000 yen or so (when games are in Osaka). I told my son that if he helped out and we got a lot of business, I'd increase his allowance," said the 47-year-old owner of a small restaurant close to Osaka's Nagai Stadium.
Like Tanigawa, many in Osaka and elsewhere in the Kansai region hope the economic impact will be in the form of increased sales. And, according to the private Kansai Economic Research Center, local businesses have reason for optimism.