Members of the Osaka city council have come together to establish a group called “No! Osaka IR/Casino” opposing Osaka’s IR bid and vowing to appeal to the central government to deny the prefecture and city’s application.
The group was established with the help of Osaka city council member Hirotoshi Kawashima (LDP) and former Osaka vice governor Tadakazu Konishi. They are calling for the support of local companies and other organizations and plan to submit a written request to the central government around August.
The group maintains, “The Osaka IR/Casino plan has deviated significantly from what it was initially, losing its international competitive edge and failing to comply with the standards stipulated by the national government. There is also a clear issue with the massive public fund injection.
“The national government is adamant that there must be a consensus formed with the local residents but the explanations from Osaka prefecture and city have been inadequate, even leading to a petition with 210,000 signatures directly requesting a referendum, so it can’t be said that the residents’ consent has been obtained.”
The group plans to convey these issues to the national government and request that the [IR] plan is not approved.
The planned developer and operator of Osaka’s IR is a special purpose company called Osaka IR, led by US casino giant MGM Resorts International and local partner ORIX Corp. The area development plan stipulates the Osaka IR will open on the reclaimed Yumeshima in 2029. Annual visitors are estimated at 20 million with annual sales of JPY 520 billion (US$3.8 billion) and an annual economic ripple effects of JPY 1.14 trillion (US$8.4 billion).
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