The mayor of Hakodate, a major city on Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost main island, says his metropolis is in “no position” currently to work at hosting an integrated resort (IR) with casino. The remarks of Jun Oizumi were reported on Tuesday by a local news outlet.
Earlier this month it emerged that Hakodate – along with Tomakomai – were two Hokkaido settlements among a number that responded in the affirmative to an August survey from the prefectural government on the topic of whether to tilt for an IR. Tomakomai has long coveted the chance to host a casino resort.
It has previously been reported that a new round of IR applications could open in 2026. In June, a Japanese official suggested a new round was “not far off”.
Hakodate’s Mr Oizumi was cited as saying in his latest remarks – in response to representatives’ questions at the Hakodate city assembly on Tuesday: “As a tourism-driven city, it is natural,” for Hakodate “to be interested in having an IR in the city.
“However, the city is in no position to go ahead with working to try having one at this moment,” the mayor added.
Earlier this month, Mr Oizumi had been cited as saying his local government was keen on having an IR in the city, but that as of that time, there was no plan to present such a proposal.
Hakodate (pictured), a city of 240,000 people at the southern tip of Hokkaido, is served by high-speed trains from Japan’s main island of Honshu, via undersea tunnel.
From a review by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent of previous comment by Hokkaido’s prefectual government, it seems that Tomakomai, an industrial port city, had been the prefecture’s priority candidate location – among three possible sites – when it comes to hosting an IR. That was prior to Hokkaido deciding not to join a first round of applications in 2019.
Suguru Kanazawa, mayor of Tomakomai, said recently that city’s authorities were “willing” to work with local municipalities that intend to support Tomakomai’s bid to host a casino resort once a new round of applications is launched.
The only IR approved for the country so far is MGM Osaka, now slated to cost JPY1.51 trillion (US$10.31-billion, currently), which is 18.9 percent above a figure of JPY1.27-trillion previously mentioned. MGM Osaka – promoted by MGM Resorts International and Japan’s Orix Corp, with smaller supporting investment by other Japanese companies – is due to open in 2030.
