The Chubu Economic Federation said Monday it will call for building a second runway at the newly opened Chubu Centrair International Airport to keep economic momentum going after the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture ends later this month.
The construction of an additional runway at the airport near Nagoya and other new infrastructure improvements are necessary to create "an attractive and energetic Chubu" after the expo, which kicked off on March 25, the federation of businesses said.
To achieve the goal, the federation also stressed the need to lure high-tech companies to the region and host international events, including the Special Olympics for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
The business group brushed aside concerns that economic activity in Chubu will slow after the expo ends Sept. 25, saying the regional economy will remain solid as a whole partly because of its expectations for the airport, which opened Feb. 17. The airport is expected to generate economic effects worth about 130 billion yen annually between fiscal 2006 and 2010.