Osaka: anti-IR group to submit referendum request on July 21

Osaka prefecture’s governor Hirofumi Yoshimura has previously said that a referendum is unnecessary.

Japan.- An anti-IR group has said that it will submit a referendum request to Osaka prefecture’s governor, Hirofumi Yoshimura, on July 21. According to GGRAsia, the group has gathered 208,552 signatures, crossing the threshold of 2 per cent of voters necessary to demand a vote. This means that this time it could be difficult for the prefecture to reject the demand.

The Osaka prefecture’s governor, who is in favour of the development of an integrated resort, has previously said that a referendum is unnecessary. Meanwhile, a lawyer has announced he plans to file a lawsuit after the city of Osaka’s Audit Committee reportedly refused to review land lease agreements for the development of the IR.

People opposed to the casino plans claim the arrangement violated Japan’s Local Government Finance Act, which aims to curb excessive public spending. MGM Resorts International and ORIX (MGM-Orix) were selected as Osaka’s IR partners by the Osaka Prefecture. The consortium proposed to invest JPY1tn (US$9.1bn).