The governor of Osaka has declared his ambition to open an integrated casino resort in the Japanese city by 2023.
Speaking to local media this week, Governor Ichiro Matsui stated his intent to launch an IR within the next five years while downplaying concerns over ongoing political scandals involving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that threaten to delay passage of the long-awaited IR Implementation Bill.
“Discussion of the legislation has been delayed a little bit, but discussion on the contents of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito bill has now wrapped up,” Matsui said. “So it will be passed in the Diet. Under that assumption, we want to realize a casino resort in fiscal 2023, or by 2024 at the latest.”
The ruling LDP is expected to submit its IR legislation to the Japanese Diet on Friday after reaching agreement with coalition partner Komeito on a number of key stipulations. They include a decision to issue three casino licenses upon passage of the IR Implementation Bill.
Assuming the bill is pushed through cabinet quickly, Matsui said he rapid progress on making an Osaka IR a reality.
“If the bill becomes law as quickly as is possible, we’ll promptly draw up a schedule to open up the facility,” he said.
Investment bank Morgan Stanley last week rated Osaka the leading contender among all Japanese cities to win one of the three IR licenses set to be issued later this year.
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