That leaves other areas in the country with precious little chance of a look-in, despite interest from a number of smaller cities. But local officials aren\u2019t going to give up without a fight.<\/p>\n
The most widely touted destination has been Osaka\u2019s Yumeshima, an artificial reclaimed landfill island in Osaka Bay. But the Japan Times reports Rinku Town in Izumisano is also lobbying hard for consideration, as is Wakayama Marina City in Wakayama Prefecture.<\/p>\n
Rinku Town is located across the bay from Kansai airport in southern Osaka, and its supporters believe it\u2019s ideally located for streams of tourists arriving by plane.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBy contrast, a resort on Yumeshima Island would require hundreds of millions in infrastructure development, extending the subway line so that it reaches from the airport to the island.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t Turn Away From Smaller Municipalities\u201d <\/strong><\/h2>\nRinku was the location originally proposed by Osaka Prefecture in 2002 as a possible destination for a future casino, and the city of Izumisano passed a resolution in 2013 in support of such a plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t turn away from municipalities that have been making the effort over the years to realize integrated resorts, and create a bill that makes local revitalization the top priority,\u201d begged Izumisano municipal official Yoshihiko Matsushita at a public hearing on casino licensing last week.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cMunicipalities have spent a long time talking to residents, conducting symposiums on integrated resorts, and setting up IR bid committees,\u201d he added. \u201cThese local governments have knowledge about efforts made to legalize casinos in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, to the south, in Wakayama Prefecture, municipal officials are desperate to secure a casino resort in Wakayama Marina City, about 45 minutes\u2019 drive from Kansai airport.<\/p>\n
Should the city be granted a license, officials say construction work on the casino could begin immediately, unlike Yumeshima where infrastructure development could delay the process by several years.<\/p>\n
Japanese Cities Prepare to Bid for Right to Host Casinos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As Japan edges closer to a framework of regulation that will pave the way for its long-awaited casino resorts, the municipal governments of potential hosts are ramping up lobbying efforts. The Japanese legislature (the Diet) passed a bill to legalize integrated resorts in December but the number of gaming licenses that will be created is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":57455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Japan\u2019s Cities Raise Stakes in Casino Bidding War<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n