Japan broke new ground on Tuesday after Sanae Takaichi became the country’s first female Prime Minister following a parliamentary vote.
Takaichi, often referred to as Japan’s “Iron Lady” due to her ultraconservative views and admiration for former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, received 237 votes in the 465-seat lower house to claim victory and become the nation’s 104th leader.
The vote followed a late deal between her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and fellow right wing The Innovation Party, although local media noted that the deal leaves the LDP two seats short of a majority, providing a risk of instability.
While Taikichi’s elevation is seen as a move by the LDP to adopt a far more conservative approach to its politics following the party’s historic election loss in the upper house in July, there is no indication it will negatively impact Japan’s burgeoning IR industry.
In 2013, Taikichi was the LDP member that submitted a bill to parliament calling for the legalization of casinos. She was also instrumental in having then-partner New Komeito sign off on the bill and informed parliament of this development.
She has, however, been a vocal advocate for tighter restrictions around online gambling and related advertising.
Ahead of a meeting in March of this year between the Cabinet First Subcommittee and the Public Safety, Terrorism, and Cybercrime Countermeasures Research Committee, she stated, “Online casinos are not only a source of funding for anonymous, mobile criminal groups, but they are also a major drain on Japanese wealth overseas, which is something we cannot overlook.
“At today’s joint meeting, I would like to thoroughly discuss what we can do quickly to eliminate the abundance of advertisements and posts that lead people to online casinos and to stop the spread of addiction as soon as possible. I also urge the relevant ministries and agencies to take prompt measures to prevent the distribution of information about online casinos.”
Taikichi’s appointment as Prime Minister comes amid local media reports that the central government is preparing a second round of IR license applications that could see up to two more licenses offered by 2027 as permitted under Japan’s IR Promotion Bill. A number of municipalities in Hokkaido are said to have expressed interest.
The first round saw only one license issued, with MGM Resorts having earlier this year broken ground on its massive US$10 billion IR development in Osaka.
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