Multiple locales jockey for position
Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui and Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura are behind a full-court press to win one of Japan’s first integrated resort licenses for the prefecture. The plan is to develop an IR on Yumeshima, a manmade island in Osaka Bay. But in the aftermath of deadly destruction from Typhoon Jebi, which struck Japan in September, some are concerned the site is too vulnerable to flood damage.
According to the Japan Times, Jebi slammed a tanker into the only bridge leading to Kansai International Airport on another manmade island in the bay, forcing it to shut down. But officials downplayed the risk. “The island of Yumeshima is higher above sea level than Kansai airport, so there is no problem,” Matsui said on Twitter in October. Yoshimura agreed, adding, “Yumeshima is nine meters above sea level, so there would be no flooding at all.”
Osaka is a leading contender for a casino license, along with Yokohama, Tokyo and other regions. The prefecture and city are finalizing plans to establish a committee of experts to evaluate proposals from interested operators including Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM Resorts International and the Las Vegas Sands Corp.
In neighboring Wakayama Prefecture, Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka acknowledged that the area will have to compete with Osaka for a license.
“Only three locations will be chosen, and Osaka’s business community is quite aggressive in their activities to invite a casino,” Nisaka recently told business leaders. But according to GGRAsia, there’s a school of thought that a Wakayama casino could complement an urban casino in Osaka, and both prefectures could come out winners.
Tomakomai City, an industrial port in Hokkaido Prefecture also wants to be in the running, with Kushiro City and Rusutsu Village on the short list of preferred locations. Caesars Entertainment is reportedly eyeing Tomakomai as a possible resort site. Hard Rock International has also stated that it planned to open an office in Tomakomai this year.
The municipal government of Tomakomai has begun a series of 17 lectures to prepare residents for the IR race and build local support.
