If the IR policy delays have created a threat to Yokohama’s plans that are primarily political, the deepest concerns for Osaka arguably relate to its effect on transportation infrastructure to the man-made island of Yumeshima.

Barring some truly dramatic event, it is already clear Yokohama faces a year of battle over IR development in 2021, pushing other public issues to the margins. Yokohama Mayor Fumiko Hayashi’s mayoral term comes to an end in August 2021.

The Nishinippon Shinbun, the leading regional newspaper of the Japanese island of Kyushu, editorialized on Monday against the IR development plan in Nagasaki that is supported by the region’s governors.

Yokohama anti-casino referendum campaigners have submitted about 205,000 resident signatures, more than three times the 63,000 that they needed to collect during the two-month period to trigger a referendum. The group is expected to ask Mayor Fumiko Hayashi to enact the necessary ordinance by the end of the year.

Mikio Shimoji, an Okinawa politician who admitted receiving a bribe offered by agents of 500 .com who were seeking an IR license in Japan, has been refused readmittance to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. As a result of his bribery admission, he was expelled from the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party.

Universal Entertainment has recorded JPY77.1 billion (US$732 million) in revenues for the January-September nine-month period, a figure which was down 17.5 percent on a year-on-year basis. The net loss attributable to owners of the parent company came to JPY6.8 billion.

If current trends hold, there will soon be a referendum in Yokohama, which will bring an end to what is currently anticipated to be the largest IR development in Japan.

Universal Entertainment Corporation has issued a statement that it has won a legal case against former company auditor Yuki Arai when the Tokyo High Court dismissed an appeal.

Japan is an unusual market in Asia, as while online gambling is illegal, the government appears willing to turn a blind eye and as a result business is booming.

The municipal government has established the “Yokohama Innovation IR Council’ to exchange opinions with the Kanagawa Prefectural Government and the Public Safety Commission in connection with the development of IR policy.

Sega Sammy Holdings has reported that its overall sales fell by 33.4 percent year-on-year to JPY110.2 billion (US$1.1 billion). The group posted an operating loss of JPY3.1 billion for the quarter.

The Wakayama Prefectural Government has acknowledged that there will be a delay in the national timeline for developing IRs, but the local government remains keen on opening Japan’s first IR, which they now envision may be possible in spring 2026.

The anti-casino group aiming to trigger a recall election for pro-IR Mayor Fumiko Hayashi is falling far short of the necessary threshold for success. With half of the two...

Sega Sammy is excited to announce two new games to its Standalone ETG “Maximum Fortune” series: “Roulette Maximum Fortune” and “Sic-Bo Maximum Fortune”. This series offers a proven game concept, in which players can create their own game history and game trends.

Sega Sammy Holdings has announced that it will transfer 85.1 percent of its shares in Sega Entertainment, which operates amusement facilities, to the company Genda. Sega Sammy’s share will thus fall to 14.9 percent.

Anti-casino activists in Yokohama have flexed their political muscle by gathering more than 150,000 resident signatures within two months. This was more than twice the threshold that they needed to trigger a referendum.