Japan’s professional baseball teams started training camp on 1 February.
The pennant race from this point is long. There are no shortcuts to victory and, as always, it will be the team that prepares properly who will taste glory.
The same could be said for the race to IR. There is no chance of victory unless government, business and citizens unite and work together.
In that sense, the trinity of Osaka prefecture, Osaka city and Wakayama prefecture appear to already have the support two of those groups. But where will the final location be? Perhaps it will be Nagasaki prefecture who, as reported by Kyodo news agency, announced this week that they plan to make an application along with Osaka and Wakayama.
Meanwhile, Chiba is starting to look like it may join the race too and is currently considering an application.
The Nikkei Shimbunreports that “Chiba no Mirai” – an enterprise group made up of local businesses in Chiba city – has come up with new proposals aiming to attract an IR to the Makuhari area. The group hopes to make these proposals to the city council and the city’s Chamber of Commerce to build momentum for the bid.
One of the proposals that stands out as being especially ambitious is to build a man-made island off the coast of Makuhari, on which IR facilities such as a luxury casino resort could be based. Further, it will connect existing areas such as ZOZO Marine Stadium, home of baseball team Chiba Lotte Marines and Makuhari Messe, which functions as a large conference and exhibition hall, with a bridge and undersea tunnel. Could this end up with a new, young guard taking over, as once was the case with the Chiba Lotte Marines? Only time will tell.
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