Lagstiftning

Japan – Japanese casino discussions underway

The opening parliamentary debate on a bill to introduce resort casinos is now underway in Japan.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party wants casinos as part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aim of increasing economic growth by doubling the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan to over 20m by 2020.

Hiroyuki Hosoda, the ruling party lawmaker sponsoring the bill, said: “The intention is to increase competitiveness and enhance the attractiveness of our tourist destinations.”

Masahiko Shibayama, of the lower house’s cabinet committee, said the passing the bill would likely be postponed until at least autumn.

The bill is the first part of a two-stage process. After it has been passed the government will piece together legislation within a year to legalise resort casinos.

Toru Mihara, an adviser to politicians, said: “We have to remind ourselves that this is just the start, and until we see gambling become legal, we must keep up our efforts.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: “Integrated resorts will be a main feature of my growth strategy.”
Japan har tilldragit sig intresse från de flesta av de största internationella kasinooperatörerna. Jag tror att integrerade semesterorter kommer att vara en viktig del av Japans ekonomiska tillväxtstrategi. Jag skulle vilja att de överväger med ett perspektiv på vad som behöver göras för att stärka Japans attraktionskraft och hur man får folk att besöka.”

MGM Resorts Chief Executive Jim Murren said: “As an ex-Wall Street guy, it’s all about deal momentum.
When you lose the deal momentum, sometimes you lose the deal.”

Not everyone is pro casino though. Tokyo’s Governor, Yoichi Masuzoe, said: “There are pros and cons. Many women in Tokyo are against the creation of casinos and they think about the bad influences of casinos. There hasn’t been enough debate, including about money laundering and other things.”