SHIGA - A fireworks festival that had been promoted as a simultaneous display of more than 10,000 fireworks across three cities on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture was abruptly canceled on August 9, with organizers having failed to submit applications for permits required to hold the event. The Lake Biwa Three-City Simultaneous Fireworks Festival had been scheduled for August 22 in Nagahama, Hikone and Takashima, with announcements on social media and elsewhere saying more than 10,000 fireworks would be launched across the three locations. Organizers had not submitted applications to the Shiga Prefectural Government for permits required under the River Act to stage the event on Lake Biwa. Organizers had also sought payments of 50,000 yen from businesses wishing to operate food stalls and other booths at the event. "At other events, the organizers first screen applicants, and once you are approved to participate, you pay the fee.