Former Chairman of the Yokohama Port Transportation Association, Yukio “The Don of Hama” Fujiki, continues to criticize Mayor Fumiko Hayashi’s policy of a Yokohama IR bid, calling for the redevelopment of Yamashita Pier to be reconsidered from a blank sheet.
According to the Mainichi Shimbun, Fujiki says the “three Cs” of social distancing policies – closed spaces, crowds and close-contact settings – aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 stand in direct contradiction to the government’s emphasis on tourism and inbound visitor policies.
Instead, the development of the pier “must be in accordance with the new social rules that will come with the coronavirus pandemic,” and dismissed an IR with a casino as “the most non-urgent and unnecessary project.”
Fujiki retired as Chairman of the Port Transport Association in June but has said he will remain Chairman of the Yokohama Port Harbor Resort Association in order to continue fighting for redevelopment without a casino.
