MGM Osaka appoints new chairman as IR construction advances
The leadership reshuffle comes as Japan’s first approved integrated resort project continues to progress towards its planned 2030 opening.
Japan.- MGM Resorts International and Orix Corporation have announced changes to the senior leadership of MGM Osaka Corp, the joint venture behind Japan’s first approved integrated resort with a casino. Nobuki Watanabe, currently a managing executive officer at Orix, has been selected as representative director and chairman effective May 1. He succeeds Toyonori Takahashi, who has stepped down but will remain an advisor to Orix.
Watanabe joined Orix in 2001 and has worked across corporate management and new business development divisions. Meanwhile, Edward Bowers has been reappointed as representative director and president of the company.
The appointments follow MGM Osaka Corp’s transition to a formal board structure. According to Japanese media outlet Sankei Shimbun, it now operates with a five-member board. Alongside Watanabe and Bowers, the board includes Bill Hornbuckle, Hidetake Takahashi, chief executive of Orix, and Shuuji Irie, senior managing executive officer at Orix.
Construction remains on track for 2030 opening
The Osaka IR project, valued at JPY 1.51tn (US$ 9.66bn), is currently under construction on Yumeshima Island in Osaka prefecture. MGM Resorts and Orix each hold a 40 per cent stake in the development, alongside several local investors.
Speaking during MGM Resorts’ first-quarter earnings call last month, Hornbuckle said construction milestones continued to be reached at the site for its planned 2030 launch. He also reiterated MGM’s long-term expectations for the Japanese market, noting the company anticipated becoming the country’s sole licensed casino operator upon opening.
However, while the Osaka project was the only integrated resort approved during round of applications, Japan’s government is preparing to open a second round of integrated resort (IR) applications. A cabinet order issued in March set the application window for new IR district development plans from May to November 2027.
