The standing committee of the Yokohama City Council has voted in favor of a supplementary budget proposal for an IR bid in the amount of JPY260 million (US$2.4 million).
Supplementary opinions have been added to the proposal, which include concerns for public safety and problem gambling countermeasures. The bill is expected to be approved and passed at the plenary session on 20 September.
The Liberal Democratic Party, the Independent Party and the Komeito (Clean Government Party) were in favor of the supplementary budget, while the Rikken and Kokumin Forums and the Communist Party opposed it. The opposition party’s amendment to the revised budget to remove the IR supplementary budget proposal was rejected by a majority vote.
The opposition claims that in a public opinion survey conducted by some news media, over 60% of city residents oppose the bid and criticized the decision-making process saying it was “excluding the people.” After an evaluation of the mayor’s decision, the ruling class welcomed the result, saying, “This supplementary budget is only the beginning of IR discussions.”
It has also been revealed that the city had been preparing explanatory materials for an IR bid before Mayor Fumiko Hayashi’s policy to go for the bid was finalized in July. The opposition has criticized this as well, saying the “procedure has been handled poorly.” They have also pointed out that the credibility of the economic effects expected from an IR property have low credibility.
It appears Yokohama is still far from reaching an agreement.
