Three out of four exit polls conducted among Osaka voters in relation respectively to Sunday’s elections for governor, mayor, for the prefectural assembly, and for the city assembly in the Japanese metropolis, reported absolute majorities from respondents, in terms of favouring an integrated resort (IR) with casino there.
The fourth poll still showed a simple majority in favour of ‘yes’ to an IR. That was according to data collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent.
The relevant question put to voters in all cases was: “What is your opinion on having an IR in Osaka?”
The IR policy was made an election topic by some parties opposing the Osaka Innovation party, which retained its control of the metropolis in Sunday’s elections.
Osaka plans to have United States-based MGM Resorts International and Japanese company Orix Corp as its private-sector partners for the development of the scheme.
A survey by the Yomiuri Shimbun news outlet on Sunday among voters for the Osaka prefecture election showed 57 percent of responses in favour of having an IR, with 41 percent of respondents against.
An Asahi Shimbun survey found that polled voters in the governor election were 53 percent for an IR, and 45 percent against. For the voters specifically in the mayor election, the split was 55 percent ‘yes’ and 43 percent ‘no’.
A Mainichi Shimbun survey among voters in the governor election flagged 53 percent of replies in favour of having an IR, and 45 percent against.
The survey by news agency Jiji Press Ltd did not produce an absolute majority for an IR, but among respondents from voters in the Osaka city election, 43 percent indicated their support for the project, surpassing by 12 percentage points the 31 percent that voiced their opposition.
Hirofumi Yoshimura, the head of the Osaka Innovation party, was re-elected on Sunday as governor of Osaka prefecture, and with a 9.3 percentage-point increase in his share of the vote compared to the April 2019 election.
Mr Yoshimura was returned with 2,439,444 votes, 73.7 percent of the total, compared to April 2019, when he garnered 2,266,103 votes, 64.4 percent of the total.
In the latest elections for Osaka prefecture assembly, Osaka Innovation got 55 seats out of the total 88 seats. In April 2019, it had won 51 out of total 88 seats, according to information collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent.
In Sunday’s poll, Hideyuki Yokoyama – also of Osaka Innovation – was elected as Osaka mayor with 655,802 votes, 64.6 percent of the vote.
A national-level assessment of Osaka’s IR scheme – and that of one proposed by Nagasaki prefecture – has been in the hands of the country’s government since April last year. In late March this year, it had been indicated there would be no announcement until after Japan’s local elections were concluded.
Osaka’s re-elected governor reaffirmed on Sunday an aim “to open an IR in 2029″.
