Harry Potter's Wizarding World planned for Universal Studios Osaka

Japanese fans of the fictional wizard Harry Potter will be able to explore 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter' when Universal Studios' Osaka theme park expands to include the attraction.

Around 45 billion yen ($560 million) will be invested to create the Harry Potter attraction in Osaka, which will boost the existing theme park's footprint by one fifth when it opens in 2014.

Warner Brothers' Brad Globe said the announcement was good news for Potter fans stating

"Harry Potter continues to captivate generations of fans around the world and we are delighted to announce this partnership ... that will allow us to bring the magic of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Asia.

"We think this is the perfectly timed next step in bringing the magical world of Harry Potter to life for even more fans."

James and Oliver Phelps , the actors who play the series' Weasley twins were in Japan to help make the announcement, adding "we're absolutely thrilled to be here and really excited to be able to announce that Hogwarts is coming to Universal Studios Japan."

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Universal Studios Japan will be the first of the theme parks, which are inspired by the books, to open outside of the US.

The first attraction opened in Orlando, Florida, and includes replicas of some of the most iconic locations in the book, including the village of Hogsmeade, a Hogwarts Castle and Diagon Alley.

The second park is due to open in Hollywood, California, in 2016 while in the United Kingdom, Warner Brothers has converted the original film sets into a visitor attraction.

JK Rowling's best-selling book series has sold around 450 million copies worldwide, and Warner Brothers' eight films based on the books made more than $7.7 billion at global box offices.

Both the books and the films have been hugely popular in Japan, with queues of fans dressed up as Harry Potter characters appearing outside bookshops when a Japanese translation of the novels was released.

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