Hiroshi Ozaki, President of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has indicated that postponement of any potential IR opening is an option for Osaka prefecture and city.
According to the Mainichi Shimbun, Osaka prefecture and city still hope to open an IR by the end of 2026, however Ozaki said that if there was any concern over customers not coming due to changes in the global environment as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, they would wait for a time when customers were more likely to travel.
He added he would continue to support the bid, and commented that operators should make the ultimate decision on opening dates.
MGM Resorts, along with its partner Orix, remains the only company to have submitted a bid to develop an Osaka integrated resort, while five companies remain in the race for Yokohama (Galaxy Entertainment Group, Genting Singapore, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, Sega Sammy and Wynn Resorts), two for Wakayama (Clairvest and Suncity Group) and three for Nagasaki (Casinos Austria, Current Corp and Oshidori).