Yokohama to shift location for potential IR

The casino industry is all likely reach major cities in Japan, including Yokohama. It is one of the cities were an integrated resort (IR) is expected to come up first. A local politician named Yumiko Araki, the head of the nine-member Japan Communist Party,  said that the Yokohama City Council may change the specific location in which it plans to build it.

She believes Mayor Fumiko Hayashi may switch the intended location from Yamashita Pier to Minato Mirai. In an interview with AGBrief, Araki stated: “The situation for building a casino at Yamashita Pier has become increasingly difficult, but there is also Minato Mirai, which has a convention hall that could become part of the development that is required by the regulations.”

The politician’s suspicions are also fueled by Keikyu Corporation’s decision to move its headquarters from Tokyo to Minato Mirai in the autumn of 2019. In addition, it is no secret that the company is very keen to build an IR, and everything suggests it may choose the district to do so.

The IR Implementation Bill is being discussed by Japanese lawmakers but the current Diet session ends on June 20th and time seems to be running out.

However, the government may decide to extend the current session to late June or July in order to have time to pass the casino bill. 

Source: FocusGamingNews