Could there finally be signs of progress on casinos in Japan?
Previously the debate has been theoretical and somewhat academic. Now a clear goal has been identified—the economic regeneration of the tsunami-hit Sendai prefecture in the northeast of the country. That’s what was discussed by a cross-party lobby group of Japanese MPs in Tokyo this week.
The casino scheme may involve creating a special zone in the Sendai area where casino gaming will be exempted from the provisions of Japan’s Criminal Code. That code normally holds that gambling—aside from on the outcome of certain designated sports including horse racing, cycling and power boat-racing held inside Japan and supervised by relevant government ministries—is illegal.
But before everyone gets too excited, there are a number of points to consider. The foremost are Japan’s administrative inertia and the political instability that tend to see coalition governments come and go in quick succession. Another is that the pro-casino lobby have apparently coupled the casino issue to a general movement of administrative reform in Japan. This might be good politics in terms of getting MPs otherwise lukewarm about casinos to sign up for reform and those lukewarm about reform to sign up for casinos. But it does complicate things and potentially water down the very clear economic regeneration goal regarding Sendai.
Even Junichiro Koizumi, the most successful Japanese politician of the modern era and prime minister for a record five straight years, had a five-year struggle to push through an economic scheme for which there was a much clearer mandate; the privatisation of Japan Post—more a state within the state than a public utility.
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