In a case of fortuitous timing, the 2018 Japan Gaming Congress will kick off in Tokyo tomorrow just as members of Japan’s major opposition parties return to the Diet following an 18-day boycott due to multiple scandals clouding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Politicians will now be racing the clock to pass a number of key bills before the end of the current Diet session, including the long-awaited IR Implementation Bill which will set the ground rules for Japan’s first casino resorts ahead of bidding for the three casino licenses on offer.
However, the unexpected delay in proceedings has political commentators suggesting that it is unlikely the IR bill will be passed during the current session.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan led the recent parliamentary boycott, returning on Tuesday after an 18-day hiatus. A labor reform bill remains the government’s top priority and is expected to be their main focus in the short term.
Political problems and unseasonably cold weather in Tokyo – where relentless rain has seen the temperature plummet to around 10 degrees Celsius – hasn’t discouraged representatives of the global gaming industry from arriving en masse with major operators, manufacturers and suppliers among those taking part in this year’s Japan Gaming Congress.
Inside Asian Gaming also landed on Tuesday with a team of four on the ground at Conrad Tokyo to cover the latest news and views surrounding Japan’s burgeoning casino industry.
Around 450 attendees are expected over the next two days, with official proceedings to kick off tomorrow via an opening address by Member of the House of Representatives for the LDP, Hiroyuki Hosoda, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura and acting secretary general of the LDP Koichi Hagiuda.
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