By Hoang Vu  November 26, 2025 | 12:25 am PT
The 123m-tall Osaka Wheel in Japan. Photo courtesy of Osaka Wheel
About 20 tourists were rescued after being stranded for nine hours on Japan’s tallest Ferris wheel in Osaka Prefecture on Tuesday after a lightning strike forced the attraction to make an emergency stop.
The 123-meter Osaka Wheel, located at Expocity, a major shopping and entertainment complex in Suita, halted around 5:47 p.m. amid a thunderstorm, Japan Times reported.
Staff initially attempted to rotate the wheel manually to bring riders down, but progress was slow.
Firefighters and emergency responders were called in, and the last passengers were safely evacuated by 2:41 a.m. Wednesday, Kyodo News Agency reported.
No injuries were reported.
Takeshi Niwa, PR general manager for the Ferris wheel operator, said the company is investigating the cause of the shutdown and reviewing emergency response procedures.
He explained that the lightning strike likely disrupted the wheel’s commercial power supply, triggering the emergency stop.
The Osaka Wheel sustained significant damage and remains closed, with no timeline yet for reopening.
The attraction is located near the Tower of the Sun, a symbol of the 1970 Japan World Exposition.
AloJapan.com