Hokkaido IR development excluded from 2021 budget

The prefectural government has submitted its annual budget and has not earmarked any funds for an IR development.

Japan.- After several back and forths, it appears that the island of Hokkaido does not intend to compete for one of Japan’s three integrated resort licences.

The island’s prefecture did have plans for an integrated resort in the city of Tomakomai but its initial budget for 2021 makes no mention of funds for an IR development, suggesting that the proposal is off the cards.

Governor Naomichi Suzuki said he hoped the 2021 budget “could help the prefecture navigate the Covid-19 pandemic and build a society resistant to infectious disease while also promoting Hokkaido’s future in a post-pandemic world.”

The city of Nagasaki is currently seen as best-managed contender in Japan’s IR race.