Osaka residents reject casino

Residents of Osaka have held different protests against casino development in Japan.

Japan.- Osaka residents have opposed a casino development in the Asian country. The Japanese city is likely to become a casino host as legislators would debate the Implementation Bill next session. City governments of Osaka and the prefectural revealed the “Interim Framework Plan” to build an integrated resort at Yumeshima. The plan emphasises that the integrated resort that would open in 2023 or 2024 would use high technology.

Casino opponents held last Wednesday an event called “Preventing the Establishment of the IR Implementation Act,” which was organised by the Osaka Bar Association. In his presentation, lawyer Tetsuya Yoshida noted that about 5 million people in Japan are suspected of some level of gambling addiction, and he told the audience, “Addiction is a social problem that should be considered separately from casinos. It is wrong to legalise casinos in order to take credit for instituting anti-addiction policies,” as informed by AGBrief.

Another lawyer, Toshinobu Takahashi, reviewed the central government’s Experts’ Committee report and found it to be wanting: “From the outset the orientation of the committee was determined. Their investigation of the negative effects of casinos was insufficient.”

Osaka’s government would have to chose an operator to run the Yumeshima IR by the end of 2019 and then it would open its doors by 2023 or 2024. The Governor of the city Ichiro Matsui urged the national government to pass the legislation necessary to continue the process to build an IR: “This is a message to please pass the IR Implementation Bill in this autumn’s Diet session. For our part here in Osaka, all of our preparations are completed.”