Wakayama prefecture announced on Monday that the guidelines for IR operators as part of its bid have been published and that it will now begin the recruitment process.
The prefecture’s operator partner will be decided around autumn of this year with the goal of opening before the Osaka/Kansai Expo in 2025.
The prefecture announced its IR implementation policy in February and hopes to win approval by the national government to develop a “resort-style IR”, unlike the urban-style IR Osaka prefecture and city are aiming for.
Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka said at a regular press conference on Monday, “As long as the national government does not change its schedule, we will proceed on schedule [because there will otherwise not be time to make an application to the national government].
On the other hand, Osaka prefecture and city started their recruitment process in December last year, but on 27 March postponed the deadline and extended their schedule by three months starting from the end of April, owing to the spread COVID-19.
