Wakayama exits Japan IR race as local assembly rejects plan

Apr 20, 2022 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck  

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The assembly of Japan’s Wakayama prefecture has rejected the local government’s plan for a casino resort in that community. A plenary meeting of the assembly voted on Wednesday against the prefecture submitting its Integrated Resort (IR) District Development Plan to the central government for approval, according to GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent.

The prefectural assembly had to nod the plan for the city to host a casino resort, before it could be sent for scrutiny by the national authorities by the April 28 deadline.

During Wednesday’s session, 22 members of the assembly voted against the IR plan, with 18 votes in favour.

On Tuesday, a special committee of Wakayama’s prefectural assembly tasked with scrutinising the local plan for a casino resort voted against the proposal. Two other prefectural assembly committees – the general affairs committee and the economic committee – did vote on Monday in favour of the IR plan.

Local elected representatives had expressed concerns that the details regarding funding for the JPY470-billion (US$3.8-billion) scheme for the Japanese conurbation (pictured) had yet to be clarified by the chosen private-sector consortium, led by Clairvest Neem Ventures KK.

Wakayama’s other local elected body, the city council, voted at the end of last month in favour of the IR District Development Plan, which had been finalised shortly before.

Up to three casino resorts will be allowed nationally, under the existing liberalisation programme. Currently, only Nagasaki and Osaka are likely to submit applications to the central government for the right to host a casino resort.

On Wednesday, a plenary session of the Nagasaki prefectural assembly voted in favour of the final draft of that prefecture’s IR District Development Plan. The proposed casino resort would be located at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo City, part of Nagasaki prefecture.

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