Universal Studios Japan
Universal Studios Japan (ユニバーサル・スタジオ・ジャパン) is a theme park located in Osaka, Japan. Opened on March 31, 2001, it is one of six Universal Studios theme parks worldwide and was the first to open outside the United States. The park is owned and operated by USJ LLC,[3] a wholly owned subsidiary of NBCUniversal.[4] The park is similar in layout to Universal Studios Florida and contains selected attractions from both Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, in addition to a small number of unique attractions.
This article is about the Japanese theme park. For the Universal Pictures's Japanese branch, see NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan.Location
Operating
31 March 2001
USJ LLC
(Universal Destinations & Experiences)
(wholly owned by NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast)[1]
Show business and Universal entertainment
14.9 million (2017)[2]
54 ha (108 acres)
5
Over 11 million guests visited the park in its opening year, making it the fastest theme park to reach the 10 million guest milestone at the time. In 2022, USJ hosted 12.3 million visitors, making it the third-most visited theme park in the world behind Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, and the most visited theme park in Asia.[5]
1912
Universal Pictures is founded
NBC is founded
Walter Lantz Productions (later known as Universal Animation Studios) is founded
MCA Inc. establishes Revue Studios (later Universal Television)
NBC begins first compatible color broadcasts, preceding other networks by nine years
NBC's first peacock logo debuts
American Cable Systems is founded
NBC broadcasts the first Super Bowl
American Cable Systems rebrands to Comcast
Comcast began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
Universal releases Jaws
PolyGram renames Casablanca Record & Filmworks to PolyGram Pictures
Universal releases E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
Walter Lantz Productions is sold to Universal
Universal releases Back to the Future
General Electric buys RCA for $6.4 billion, including NBC and a stake in A&E
NBC relaunches Tempo Television as CNBC
Universal Studios Florida opens
Law & Order premieres on NBC
Sky Television and British Satellite Broadcasting merge to form British Sky Broadcasting
Universal Cartoon Studios (later Universal Animation Studios) is established
Universal releases Jurassic Park
DreamWorks Animation is founded
Barry Diller purchases Universal's domestic television assets
Seagram acquires PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Universal Television is renamed Studios USA Television
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment is folded into Universal Pictures
Universal Studios Florida expands to become Universal Orlando Resort
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit premieres on NBC
Grand opening of Universal Studios Japan
Universal releases The Fast and the Furious
Vivendi purchases Studios USA
NBC acquires Telemundo and Bravo
Studios USA assets are folded into Universal
Focus Features is formed
Comcast acquires AT&T Broadband for $44.5 billion
Universal becomes the first studio with five summer releases breaking the $100 million mark
GE and Vivendi merge NBC and Universal into NBCUniversal
The Office premieres on NBC
Comcast sets up a joint-venture with PBS, Sesame Workshop & HIT Entertainment to form PBS Kids Sprout
Comcast & Time Warner Cable jointly acquire Adelphia Cable assets for $17.6 billion
USA Network begins 13-year streak as #1 cable network in total viewers
Illumination is founded
Universal releases Illumination's first film Despicable Me
Vivendi divested in NBCU; Comcast buys 51% of NBCU from GE, turning it into a limited liability company
NBCUniversal Archives is founded
Universal celebrates its 100th anniversary
NBCUniversal divests its A&E Networks minority stake
Comcast buys GE's remaining 49% of NBCU
Comcast/NBCU assumes full ownership of Sprout
Comcast attempts to acquire Time Warner Cable for $45.2 billion
NBCUniversal reaches a new long-term deal with WWE
NBCU acquires DreamWorks Animation
Sprout relaunches as Universal Kids
Comcast acquires Sky after a heated bidding war with 21st Century Fox
NBCU acquires Cineo Lighting
NBCU launches Peacock
Grand opening of Universal Beijing Resort
The Super Mario Bros. Movie becomes Illumination's highest-grossing film
Characters[edit]
Much like with the previous Universal parks, USJ has characters both from Universal and third-party companies. USJ has the Japanese license to use the Sesame Street, Peanuts and Sanrio characters, and alongside many others.
In 2011, USJ's Christmas tree was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most illuminated Christmas tree in the world having 260,498 lights.[37]
There are five official hotels at or near the park:
Incidents and accidents[edit]
In November 2004, a 35-year-old woman from Osaka Prefecture suffered nerve damage in her right wrist, affecting the use of two of her fingers. This occurred when her hand got stuck in a safety bar of the E.T. Adventure attraction as an employee pulled it down to secure it.[57]
The Yoshi's Adventure attraction suffered two accidents in late 2021, with a Goomba stack animatronic falling onto the ride during operation on August 12, 2021,[58] and a fire starting in one of the ride's indoor areas on November 23, 2021. This caused everyone to evacuate from the ride and the rest of the park.[59] Neither accidents led to any park guest injuries.
In October 2022, an employee at the amusement park found human bones in shrubbery along a road west of the premises.[60]