The citizens group “Stop Casino! Nagasaki Prefecture Network”, which opposes Nagasaki prefecture’s IR project, expressed its opposition at a press conference at the prefectural office on 5 March, demanding that work on an IR bid be halted.
The group issued a statement which read, “We resent that the prefecture has proceeded steadily despite the serious situation of the prefecture’s residents during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
They claimed that a casino embodies the “Three Cs (closed space, crowded place, close-contact settings)” and thus would become a source of infection clusters. They also complained that the prefecture’s implementation policy did not specify obligations that operators must take regarding measures against infectious disease and social harms.
At the press conference, representative Masao Tomonaga stated, “I have criticized the prefecture’s plan but now it has become a more concrete project. That is why we decided to make this press statement.”
The group is calling, via their social media accounts, for action to have the project canceled.
