Following the 500.com corruption case that has seen house representatives arrested on charges of bribery, Governor Yoshinobu Nisaka of Wakayama Prefecture – one of the most vocal regional areas preparing an IR bid – has confirmed that the scandal won’t slow down Wakayama’s IR plans.
Governor Nisaka noted this week that there has been no connection between the Chinese company implicated in the corruption allegations and Wakayama’s IR project.
Asked whether the region’s IR ambitions should be put on hold in light of the scandal, he replied, “If there was a similar incident involving public construction, would you stop all construction in its tracks?”
Regarding the schedule, he added, “There will be likely be no delay.”
Japan’s central government will finalize its IR Basic Policy this month, and local governments will draft an implementation plan between January and July of next year for their application. The government will authorize a maximum of three locations.
Barrière, Bloomberry Resorts and Suncity Group have all expressed their interest in a Wakayama IR.
