On September 10, 2009, the then Governor of Osaka Prefecture Tōru Hashimoto announced that he was examining a 4 km extension of the Sakurajima Line from  to  on the Nankō Port Town Line (New Tram). This was to improve access to the World Trade Center (WTC) in Suminoe-ku, to which the governor considered moving the prefectural government offices.
In September 2009, Osaka Prefecture Governor Tōru Hashimoto proposed extending the Sakurajima Line by 4 kilometers from  to  on the Nankō Port Town Line (New Tram). This expansion was intended to improve access to the World Trade Center in Suminoe-ku, a location that the governor planned to relocate the prefectural government offices.