Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki met directly with Tomakomai Mayor Hirofumi Iwakura to reiterate that the prefecture will not be applying for an IR license in the national first round of applications ending in April 2022.

Hope springs eternal in the minds of Tomakomai IR advocates. The answer delivered from the lips of Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki keeps coming back “no,” but what seems to be delivered to their ears is “maybe soon.”

Hope springs eternal in the minds of Tomakomai IR advocates. The answer delivered from the lips of Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki keeps coming back “no,” but what seems to be delivered to their ears is “maybe soon.”

Tomakomai city’s hopes of reentering the Japan IR race have been dashed again as Governor Naomichi Suzuki made clear at a press conference that his earlier rejection of participating in the first round of licensing still stands.

Tomakomai Mayor Hirofumi Iwakura is stepping up his pressure on Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki to get behind the city’s desire to bid for an IR license. Iwakura has reiterated that the nine month delay in the national timeline should make a bid feasible.

Tomakomai Mayor Hirofumi Iwakura has again pressed the Hokkaido prefectural authorities led by Governor Naomichi Suzuki to rejoin the IR race in the current cycle, arguing that the nine-month delay in the national licensing timeline provides adequate opportunity to resolve environmental and other concerns.

If an IR is one day built in Tomakomai city, it will certainly be due to the dogged persistence of its municipal government, which has put forward yet another set of proposals to sweeten the pot and to encourage Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki to change his mind and authorize an IR licensing bid.

Tomakomai city, which is still trying to gain Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki’s support to make an IR bid, has indicated that the city is willing in principle to bear the maintenance cost of roads, water, and sewage facilities.

The first legal casino is set to open in the western Kansai region of Japan in 2030. Yet, fate has been the most fickle of friends in the Japanese IR story where the only constant is change, and every step seems to be into the great unknown. Industry expert and author Daniel Cheng outlines the current hindrances and expectations after a decades-long battle.

The outcome of the Japan national elections is positive news for the country's IR industry and in particular for the changes of the MGM Resorts/Orix consortium in Osaka after surprise gains by the Ishin To Party.