Cabinet approval for IR regulations in Japan

Cabinet approval has been given by the Japanese government for a range of key regulations governing the size and scope of the nation’s first integrated resorts. The implementation process will start in phases from April 2019.

The contents of the cabinet order include limiting the floor space of the casino to no more than 3 per cent of the entire IR facility and restricting advertisements for casinos to the border check areas of ports and airports for arriving international visitors.

An IR’s hotel must have a total guest room area of at least 100,000 square meters. The size of the international conference and exhibition halls will be calculated together but also expected to be on a scale much greater than anything previously seen in Japan.

Further, in order to combat money laundering, operators will be required to report information on guests who exchange over JPY1 million (US$9,050) in cash or chips.

Based on this order, local governments hoping to make an IR bid will apply to the national government with an area development plan, along with their operator partner.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commented, “We are hoping for a scale and quality not achieved before in long-stay tourism to attract tourists from all over the world. We are working hard to establish a Casino Administration Committee and establish basic policies in the future as we move toward realising our dream of being a key tourist destination.”