Osaka’s prefectural assembly rejects call for IR referendum

The two main political parties in Osaka have voted against the IR referendum proposal.

Japan.- Calls for a public referendum on whether or not to allow proposals for an integrated resort in Osaka have been rejected by the city’s prefectural assembly on Friday. An anti-IR group was seeking a vote on Osaka’s IR plan after surpassing the necessary threshold of 2 per cent of voter signatures

Following the prescribed procedure, Osaka prefecture’s governor Hirofumi Yoshimura, a pro-casino member of the Osaka Revival Association, submitted a local ordinance on the issue for a vote in the prefectural assembly. However, the proposal was opposed by the Osaka Restoration Association and Komeito, the two main political groups.

A previous request for a referendum made by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was rejected by 58 out of 83 votes at Osaka’s council.

Osaka’s operator partner, the MGM-Orix consortium, has proposed to invest JPY1tn (US$9.1bn) in the planned IR. The proposed site is an artificial island: Dream Island, in Osaka Bay. The project has a target date of opening in 2029.