Japan extends the Diet session

The governing coalition has pushed the end of the current session to July 22nd in order to get the IR Implementation Bill passed.

Japan.- The casino industry has moved one step closer to Japan this week after the lower house passed the Integrated Resorts (IR) Implementation Bill on Tuesday, but the most important decision was taken on Wednesday as the governing coalition agreed with the opposition to extend the current Diet session until July 22nd in order to get the bill discussed – and possibly be turned into Law – in the upper house.

Despite the ruling coalition’s success in pushing the session’s deadline to get the project debated and its optimism around its chances to be turned into law, opposition parties remain concerned about potential loans from casinos to wealthy gamblers and other topics in the bill. Still, the proposed legislation has sailed through the committee and, afterwards, through the lower house, so it’s highly likely that lawmakers will approve the casino regulation.

Should the bill get passed in the House of Councillors, the casino industry will be able to arrive in Japan and it is expected that the first licences will be issued by 2020. Integrated resorts would then be built in three different locations in the archipelago and forecasts have them beginning operations around 2025.