With applications for Japan’s first three integrated resort (IR) licenses due by April 2022, Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki says there’s not enough time to develop a proposal, and said the island prefecture won’t take part.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, Suzuki met with Tomakomai City Mayor Hirofumi Iwakura to share his decision. Suzuki told Hirofumi that Hokkaido would reconsider the project in seven years’ time, according to a report by Asahi Shimbun; three IRs can be built in the first phase of development. Seven years afterward, the national government may consider more resorts.
Iwakura, who was actively involved in Hokkaido’s initial IR project preparations, said he was “very disappointed.”
At the meeting, Suzuki gave his reasoning for postponing an IR bid, stating, “The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the business environment for IR operators. We cannot secure an examination period.”
On the other hand, given the potential issue of more IR licenses at least seven years after the current initial round, Suzuki emphasized, “My hope for an IR project remains unchanged. I would like to work toward an IR concept that would be unique to Hokkaido.”
Suzuki had initially withdrawn Hokkaido from Japan’s IR race in November 2019, citing environmental concerns, but business groups in Tomakomai City had been pushing for a change of heart throughout 2020.
