{"id":777023971,"date":"2025-03-12T09:03:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T12:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777023971"},"modified":"2026-04-22T00:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T03:56:02","slug":"wakayama-governor-still-interested-in-hosting-japanese-casino-ir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wakayama-governor-still-interested-in-hosting-japanese-casino-ir","title":{"rendered":"Wakayama governor still interested in hosting Japanese casino IR"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shuhei Kishimoto says an integrated resort with a casino could bring positive economic benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Japan.- Wakayama governor\u00a0Shuhei Kishimoto<\/strong>\u00a0has said that the prefecture would consider bidding to host an integrated resort (IR) with a casino if Japan opens a new round of applications. According to GGRAsia, Kishimoto continues to see potential economic benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wakayama was initially one of the bidders for Japan’s first round of casino licences but it withdrew its proposal after the prefectural assembly voted against<\/a> the area development plan in 2022. While the national government has yet to announce a second round of applications, Kishimoto\u00a0said the prefectural government is gathering information on potential opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November, the Japan Tourism Agency sent a questionnaire to the prefecture to sound out its interest in future IR proposals. Nagasaki prefecture, which submitted a bid during the first round of bids but did not receive approval, also received one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only IR project approved in Japan so far is MGM Osaka on Yumeshima island. The development of the IR is\u00a0a joint venture<\/a> between\u00a0the Orix Group<\/a>, MGM Resorts International and several smaller-scale Japanese investors.\u00a0Construction for Phase I is due to begin at the end of April and an opening is expected in autumn 2030.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The IR is expected to cost JPY1.27tn (US$ 8.9bn)<\/a> and is anticipated to generate annual revenue of JPY520bn, of which about 80 per cent is expected to come from the casino. It will also include hotels, shopping areas, convention areas and facilities. Plans for Phase II are being discussed, with possible additions such as a motor racing track, arena, hotel, and entertainment options.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n

See also:<\/span> Tomakomai’s new mayor revives plans for casino in Hokkaido<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shuhei Kishimoto says an integrated resort with a casino could bring positive economic benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":26802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"Wakayama Prefecture is considering re-entering Japan's integrated resort (IR) bidding process if a new application round opens, citing potential economic benefits despite a prior withdrawal. This development follows a questionnaire from the Japan Tourism Agency, while the approved MGM Osaka IR, a joint venture with Orix Group, proceeds with Phase I construction and targets a 2030 opening, projecting significant annual revenues primarily from its casino vertical.","focusai_entities":"Shuhei Kishimoto, GGRAsia, Japan Tourism Agency, MGM Osaka, Orix Group, MGM Resorts International","focusai_location":"Japan, Wakayama, Nagasaki, Osaka, Yumeshima, Hokkaido, Tomakomai","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (1.0), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.7), operator_casino (1.0), investor_analyst (1.0), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (1.0)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Japan IR Licensing Criteria","query":"What specific changes to the national government's IR licensing criteria or economic conditions might incentivize Wakayama to re-enter the bidding process, given its prior withdrawal?"},{"label":"MGM Osaka Phase II","query":"What are the projected capital expenditure and revenue contributions for MGM Osaka's Phase II, and how might these impact the overall project's ROI and market positioning?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,16338],"tags":[23911,23632],"class_list":["post-777023971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-casino-news","category-east-asia-news","tag-gambling-regulation","tag-integrated-resorts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777023971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777023971"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777023971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777024000,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777023971\/revisions\/777024000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777023971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777023971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777023971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}