That paves the way for the bill to be heard and passed by the upper chamber, the House of Councillors, in the next few weeks, although that would mean an extension of the current – ordinary – session of parliament, which is officially due to end on Wednesday (June 20). The governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito had already flagged a willingness to extend the current session to see the bill through.
The measure sets out certain requirements for a casino industry, including a cap of three on the number of gaming resorts in the first stage of liberalisation, and an entry fee of US$55 designed to discourage locals from using the gambling floor at such resorts.
If successful, the door will be open for the world’s casino operators to start their campaigning in earnest for one of three initial IR licenses to be offered, with two likely to be located in major Japanese cities and one in a regional location.
According to local media reports, senior members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan alongside those from five opposition parties expressed their opposition to House of Representatives Speaker Tadamori Oshima regarding any extension to the current Diet session but were told they had no legal grounds to stand on.
Assuming the IR Implementation Bill does pass through the upper house by July as anticipated, it is believed that Japan’s first integrated resorts will open their doors in 2025.
Source: GMB
