Chiba will not pursue Japan IR bid

Toshihito Kumagai confirms Chiba will not apply to the national government to host a casino resort.

Japan.- Toshihito Kumagai has confirmed that Chiba will not take part in the IR race in Japan. His administration was expected to confirm in March 2020 whether it would throw its hat into the the ring, but Kumagai has said today that it will not apply to the national government to host a casino resort.

Kumagai, the mayor of the Japanese city of Chiba, said on Tuesday that his administration would not be applying because of the short time they have to prepare an IR plan. In the press briefing published today (Tuesday), Kumagai also noted that Chiba had been adversely affected by a large typhoon last year.

Despite these adversities, eight firms responded to an October request-for-information (RFI) process launched by the Japanese city of Chiba regarding the possibility of creating an integrated resort (IR). Two of these proposals came from local groups within the city, with the other six from Japanese or international IR operators.

Chiba is located in the Kanto region, part of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa.

The government of Japan announced that the local authorities that want to present proposals for Integrated Resorts (IR) licenses can do so from January 4 through July 30, 2021.