“The city’s bid was approved after sufficient examination from various perspectives”, the Tourism and Infrastructure Minister, Tetsuo Saito said. The casino complex, which will include restaurants, shops and entertainment facilities as part of an “integrated resort”, will be built in the western port city of Osaka, where senior politicians have pushed for its construction and rejected demands for a local referendum.Īuthorities in Osaka hope the project will be completed in 2029 at an initial cost of 1.8tn yen (£10.8bn). He also said that he expects that the casino will become a tourism base that would help promote “Japan’s charms to the world.”Īpart from Osaka, Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture has also submitted a plan to build a casino at Huis Ten Bosch theme park.Japan has approved a controversial plan to build the country’s first casino, after decades of debate fuelled by fears that an increase in tourist spending could be blighted by a rise in gambling addiction. “It is expected to contribute to the local economy and the economic growth of all of Japan after the Osaka-Kansai Expo and become a tourism hub for transmitting the charms of Japan,” Kishida was quoted as saying by AP. What has the government said about the project?Īt a meeting of the government’s IR (integrated resort) promotion panel, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida underlined the economic impact of the casino resort to the country.

The estimated revenue from the project will be USD 3.9 million annually, with visitor numbers expected to be around 20 million. The casino resort will be operated by Osaka IR KK, a company established by the stakeholders. How much will the project cost and what will be the revenue?Īccording to Associated Press ( AP), the project will cost an estimated USD 8 billion.Īmerican casino operator MGM Resorts International and Japan’s Orix Group would each own a 40 per cent stake in the company, while the remaining 20 per cent will be held by an assortment of local Japanese companies including West Japan Rail, Kansai Electric Power and Panasonic.

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