Just one-fifth of respondents to a recent Asahi Shimbun poll said they favor moving ahead with plans to build three multibillion-dollar integrated resorts (IRs) in Japan.
Forty-one percent of those surveyed want to pull the plug on IRs, or at least suspend the planning process. The approval rate on IRs was a mere 20 percent, down from 38 percent in December.
On Christmas Day, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Tsukasa Akimoto was arrested on suspicion of taking millions of yen in bribes from a Chinese company, 500.com, that wanted to operate an IR. Akimoto was a former senior vice minister at in the cabinet office in charge of promoting the project.
The survey also found that, even among those who support Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is leading the charge for IRs in Japan, 50 percent favored freezing the project while 36 percent supported it.
According to Asahi, even among those who support IRs as a means of boosting tourism and investment, 29 percent believe it would be better to halt the process for now.
Against this less-than-encouraging backdrop, Miyagi Prefecture has bowed out of the race to host an IR. At a press conference last week, Governor Yoshihiro Murai said the region’s “chances of winning are low, so I have judged it difficult for us to raise our hand.”
According to Asia Gaming Brief, the prefecture has determined that if an IR were established near Sendai Airport, it would take from 20 years to 46 years to recover the investment, making it a non-starter.
Despite the lack of public support, other regions remain interested. Osaka city and prefecture and two other prefectures in western Japan want to hosting casino resorts. Osaka Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture and Nagasaki Prefecture said they expect the facilities to create jobs and bring other positive economic impacts. Nagoya, a central Japan city in Aichi Prefecture, is considering making a bid and is looking for a suitable location, according to Kyodo News. Five local governments—in Tokyo, Hokkaido, Ibaraki Prefecture and the cities of Chiba and Yokohama—also are exploring the possibility, but many are still at the research stage.
A total of 17 local governments said they are “undecided” on the matter, and 40 local governments said they will “not apply” for the program.
Meanwhile, Abe has called the bribery allegations against Akimoto and five other government officials “very regrettable.” But he’s not backing away from his full support of and commitment to the new industry.
“Integrated resorts involve international conference and exhibition halls as well as large hotels. They are entertainment facilities that will be enjoyed by families and help Japan become a country of advanced tourism,” Abe told a plenary session of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the country’s bicameral parliament.
