The international body overseeing Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, is one of several voices calling for construction work on the MGM Osaka integrated resort (IR) with casino, to be paused during the expo period, according to the Asahi Shimbun news outlet.
Expo 2025 is to be held for 184 days from April 13 to October 13, 2025, on Yumeshima (pictured in a file photo), an artificial island in Osaka Bay, that is also the location of the MGM Osaka site.
According to the newspaper, the call for a pause in work on MGM Osaka during Expo 2025 has come from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). The website of the Paris, France-based BIE describes it as an intergovernmental organisation in charge of overseeing and regulating all international exhibitions that last more than three weeks and are of a “non-commercial nature”.
Asahi Shimbun said some “business executives” within Japan had also asked for a construction pause during Expo 2025.
In March, Bill Hornbuckle, chief executive and president of MGM Osaka’s majority promoter, MGM Resorts International, said that “between now and next summer is really a critical path and critical time” for ensuring MGM Osaka – a JPY1.27-trillion (US$8.66-billion currently) scheme – can stay on track for its promoters’ aspiration of a 2030 launch.
Last week, on MGM Resorts’ second-quarter earnings call, Mr Hornbuckle stated: “I just recently returned from Japan and that is moving along nicely. We are in the ground as we speak and we hope to start piling by May or June of next year, with a target date still of middle of 2030 for opening.”
As per Asahi Shimbun’s Saturday report, the reasons for the pause request are concerns over deterioration of landscape and noise on Yumeshima island expected to be associated with IR construction work.
But the news outlet also said – without citing sources – that the Osaka prefectural and city governments were concerned over the risk of Osaka IR KK exercising the right to terminate without penalty, its agreement with Osaka, were the third-party request for such a delay accepted. Osaka IR KK is the entity including MGM Resorts Japan LLC and Japan-based Orix Corp, with a few other local smaller stakeholders.
According to Asahi Shimbun, the governor of Osaka prefecture, Yoshimura Hirofumi, and the mayor of Osaka city, Hideyuki Yokoyama, would – along with what were termed high-ranking executives of Osaka IR KK – meet soon to discuss the matter.
GGRAsia has approached MGM Resorts Japan and the parent company for comment on the report, but had not received replies by the time this story went online.
Based on information collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent, Osaka’s IR District Development Plan – updated on April 19 – sets out the construction schedule for the property.
It mentions that on December 4 last year, Osaka IR KK initiated anti-liquefaction measures for the site.
