Yokohama City to present IR policy by June

Draft Basic Policy set to land in March with a period of public consultancy to follow.

Japan.- The government of Yokohama said on Monday that the city will announce its IR policy in June after publishing its draft basic policy on integrated resorts next month.

The decision was taken in a meeting in the Yokohama City Council.

According to GGRAsia, there will be a period of public consultation on the draft policy, starting from March 6.

Yokohama city will use public input to formalize its Implementation Policy and Recruitment Summary to be published in June, at which time it will start the RFP process.

After hosting the first IR Expo in Japan, the government of Yokohama announced that it would ask the city’s assembly to set up an independent selection committee to choose its private-sector partner for an IR development.

From October to December 2019 the city received submissions from seven interested operators looking to construct an IR should it receive a licence.

Some of the interested companies are Wynn Resorts and Melco Resorts & Entertainment, which has already declared its “Yokohama First” policy and intention to open a local office in the city in September.

Las Vegas Sands also indicated in October that Yokohama had become the main focus of its plans for Japan and Sega Sammy Holdings recently announced a strategic business alliance with UK firm Foster + Partners to jointly pursue an integrated resort license in the city.