With regard to the location of Integrated Resort & Casinos in Japan, the government has decided to limit it to three locations initially.
At first, five cities (Yokoyama, Wakayama, Nagasaki, Hokkaido and Chiba) announced their interest, but due to strong opposition by residents and local governments, only two cities (Osaka and Nagasaki) are now in the running.
However, the location of choice for many overseas Casino operators is of course Tokyo.
Tokyo has not publicly announced that it will attract IRs. However, there is already a lot of movement behind the scenes, indicating that they will almost certainly aim for an IR.
It should be noted here that once a casino operator has begun development at another location, it can no longer apply for a Tokyo location.
In other words, a casino operator who really wants to do business in Tokyo should not enter either of the currently nominated cities and should instead wait for Tokyo to confirm its intention.
However, this is risky, because the operator will have to give up their chance to enter another city.
Still, the market size of Tokyo is 10 to 20 times larger than any other city in Japan.
Therefore, if you really want to succeed in Japan, it seems the right choice may be to wait patiently for the Tokyo government to express its intention.
Because Tokyo and Yokohama are only 19 miles apart, it is considered to be one commercial area.
Therefore, if IR development is permitted in either city, permission will not be given to the other one.
At first, Yokohama was a prominent IR potential location, and groups trying to promote IR were active, but due to strong opposition from residents, the Yokohama City Council rejected the IR promotion bill.
As a result, Yokohama is currently excluded from IR candidate sites in Japan.
However, it's hard to let go of the good location of Yokohama, and the possibility that it will come up as a candidate site again in the future is not zero.
Currently, Asian operators such as Galaxy Entertainment, Melco Resorts in Hong Kong and Genting Group in Malaysia are still showing a strong interest in the Yokohama site.
The distance between Osaka and Wakayama is about 58 miles, which puts it in the same situation as Tokyo and Yokohama. Therefore, if IR development is permitted in either city, permission will not be given to the other one. In Wakayama Prefecture, they plan to develop an Integrated Resort & Casino at Wakayama Marina City (WMC). WMC is a 45-minute drive from Kansai International Airport. The area available for development is 37 acres, and an additional 27 acres are available for future expansion. The advantage that WMC, Wakayama prefecture has is that the development site has already been secured and as soon as the approval is received the developer can start construction work immediately. As Wakayama is the hometown of the former Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party some may feel that it has an advantage in terms of receiving authorization from the central government, but that is not a sure thing.
Currently, the operator at the top of the list in Osaka is MGM Resort / ORIX partnership.
ORIX Group is a major financial company representing Osaka, and plans to support the project financially, but its business performance has been sluggish in recent years, and it is unclear how much funds can be invested.
In addition, due to the deterioration of the Japanese economy due to COVID, the profit projection of the IR business is on a downward trend, and it is expected that it will be almost impossible to make a profit immediately after opening.
Keep in mind that although the Osaka government has designated Yumeshima Island as a potential IR resort site, there are no connecting railways yet. It will cost an estimated one billion dollars to build the infrastructure, and the question remains: Who will foot the bill?
In August 2017, Governor Hideaki Omura of Aichi Prefecture announced his desire to develop an Integrated Resort (IR) including a casino at Chubu Airport Island (Tokoname City). A study group of experts was established and has been meeting regularly.
The prefecture aims to stimulate international tourism with business events such as international conferences and trade fairs.
Chubu Airport Island is about 40 minutes by car or 28 minutes by train from Nagoya bullet train station.
However, Aichi Prefecture was reluctant to submit a proposal for an integrated resort (IR), including a casino, to the national government by the deadline. Nagoya City also did not submit the proposal to the national government and decided not to invite the IR. Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura said at a press conference, "Overseas business operators are unable to come to Japan due to the COVID situation, so procedures are being suspended."
The Makuhari area is home to a vast and diverse collection of businesses. There are more than 400 companies located here, including IBM Japan, NTT, SEIKO, and Tokyo Gas. Shopping malls, cinema complexes, hotels, cultural facilities and restaurants as well as mega retail stores like Costco (from U. S.) and Japan’s AEON Shopping Mall can be found. The AEON Mall stretches across 32 acres and attracts approximately 31 million visitors annually.
In addition, the Makuhari Messe, an international exhibition hall that covers 18 acres, welcomes six million visitors a year.
Makuhari, located approximately 21 miles from Narita International Airport, is a 35-minute drive by car from the airport. Makuhari also has the longest man-made beach in Japan.
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