IR area development plan applications to the central government opened last Friday for prefectures aiming for IR bids. The deadline for applications is 28 April 2022. The central government (Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) plans to approve up to three locations.
The examination committee will not disclose details of the meetings related to area selection in order to ensure neutrality in the decision. However, in consideration of transparency in the examinations, the qualification results and evaluation process will be made public quickly after the approval is complete.
Osaka, Wakayama and Nagasaki are the three locations currently vying for IR licenses. A consortium comprising MGM and Orix has been selected as the operator for Osaka, Clairvest Neem Ventures for Wakayama with Caesars Entertainment as the casino operator, and Casinos Austria Japan as operator of Nagasaki’s IR. All local governments and respective operators are currently preparing their area development plans for the application.
With the expiration of Yoshihide Suga’s term as Prime Minister and Fumio Kishida newly appointed to the position, Suga’s cabinet resigned on Monday. That afternoon, Fumio Kishida was appointed as the 100th prime minister as Japan and the new cabinet was launched.
The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, who is in charge of the IR approval process, will be Tetsuo Saito, deputy representative of the Komeito (Clean Government Party).
Satoshi Ninoyu (77) will also join the cabinet for the first time as Chairman of the National Safety Commission. As a member of the House of Councillors, Ninoyu has already announced that he will retire from politics with the expiration of his term next summer and will not seek reelection, indicating that his term as chairman will be short.
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