Typhoon raises concerns over Yumeshima IR
The second natural disaster of the year has generated distress in Osaka and showed that casinos should be carefully developed.
Japan.- As the casino industry is soon to arrive in Japan, several details are yet to be determined before actual construction work begins anywhere. As a Typhoon has just hit Osaka, concerns over specific requirements to develop integrated resorts (IRs) in the archipelago have been raised as it’s the second natural disaster that has affected the area this year after June’s Earthquake.
Last week, the Kansai International Airport was completely flooded, which caused air traffic to the region to be completely cancelled and to be affected for an undetermined period in the near future. Such an impact has proven that a potential IR development at Yumeshima would have had to close down part of its operations during some time, affecting tourism and probably causing visitors to cancel their visits.
That’s why IRs would definitely need to be built with special attention regarding natural disasters’ impact, and its construction needs to be executed with special care to make them resistant to their effects and have them ready to host evacuees.
The Typhoon’s impact on the area had Japan Communist Party official Masao Nakamura questioning an IR development at Yumeshima: “Why put an expo and a casino at such a place?” he tweeted. However, Governor Matsui quickly replied through the same social media and wrote: “Does the Communist Party want to inflict damage through rumours? There is no problem because the ground level at Yumeshima is higher than it is at Kansai International Airport.”
A large-scale IR is expected to be built in Yumeshima by 2024, in order to host the 2025 World Expo. That’s why construction companies are set to play a major role in the IR development, which is something that has several construction corporations signed on to become “Official Partners,” like Obayashi as well like Shimizu, Taisei, and Takenaka, or other smaller firms, including Asunaro Aoki Construction, Haseko Corporation, Kumagai Gumi, Sumitomo Mitsui Construction, Mori-Gumi, Muramoto Corporation, JDC Corporation, Okumura Corporation, and Takamatsu Corporation.
