GGRAsia – ‘No visibility’ on casino resort approval: Nagasaki governor

‘No visibility’ on casino resort approval: Nagasaki governor

Jul 20, 2023 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck

The governor of Nagasaki says he has “no visibility” on when the national Japanese government might make a decision on the prefecture’s development proposal for an integrated resort with casino.

“There is nothing I can say about how the examination is going on at the [national] government level,” governor Kengo Oishi (pictured in a file photo) stated on Wednesday, during a regular media briefing.

“There is no visibility” on the matter, he added.

Nagasaki’s proposal is being assessed under a process coordinated by the Japan Tourism Agency and the country’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The assessment panel’s most recent meeting was on June 15, according to information collated by GGRAsia’s Japan correspondent.

In mid-May the authorities in Nagasaki prefecture had already told GGRAsia they had no insight on the timing of the national government’s decision regarding their application to host a casino resort.

“We, as a prefecture, should deal with the situation as presented to us by the [national] government,” Mr Oishi stated on Wednesday.

He admitted that the proposed schedule for implementation of the casino resort scheme might need to be updated.

“In terms of the financial estimates and the schedule featured in the integrated resort plan, we might make some adjustments, together with the resort developer,” the governor said. “In that case, we would have to consult with the prefectural assembly and the [national] government.”

Nagasaki submitted its proposal in April 2022, the same time as Osaka prefecture submitted its own bid. Osaka’s plan was approved in principle in April this year by the national authorities, with just under 66 percent of the available assessment points.

Nagasaki has mentioned a fundraising target of JPY438.3 billion (US$3.15 billion at current exchange rates) for its scheme, due to be on land at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo. Casinos Austria International Japan Inc would be a commercial partner in the venture.

Nagasaki prefecture has said that the “financial arrangers” for the project include Credit Suisse AG, CBRE, and Cantor Fitzgerald Securities Japan Co Ltd.

Hirofumi Yoshimura, governor of Osaka prefecture, admitted in Tuesday comments it would be difficult to open a casino resort there in a 2029 time frame previously mentioned. He added that the time it had taken the national government to approve Osaka’s plan was a factor in delaying the opening.