Yokohama city held the first meeting of its new Yokohama Innovation IR Council this week, where the criteria for operator recruitment was discussed.
The council is chaired by Mayor Fumiko Hayashi and consists of six members: Governor Yuji Kuroiwa of Kanagawa Prefecture, the Chairman of the Yokohama Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman of the Association of Yokohama City Neighborhood Associations, Chairman of the Prefectural Public Safety Commission, and President of Yokohama City University.
It is understood that further members may be added as necessary.
At the meeting, Yokohama city explained the outline of an IR facility and the city’s work. It was ultimately decided not to publicly disclose the proceedings as open operator recruitment criteria was being discussed, and that future proceedings would not be made public either.
“An IR is not just a casino but a facility of international conference halls and entertainment facilities,” said Mayor Hayashi. “We expect it to have an unprecedented impact on tourism and growth of the local economy.”
She emphasized the need for an IR bid, insisting that doing so would lead to the promotion of the local economy and improvement of the city’s finances.
Governor Yuji Kuroiwa added, “We will respect the judgment of the city and would like to cooperate fully. Security measures and addiction measures are important tasks for the prefecture and police, and I would like to work with the city to overcome the problems.”
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