Anticipating a tough fight ahead with the opposition parties over the IR Implementation Bill, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party opted for a 32-day extension of the Ordinary Diet Session to July 22.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai explained, “We want to persevere with all our power to create results that the people will find to be convincing.”
The current government is committed to a range of reforms that it says are aimed at improving the structure of the country’s economy. Casino liberalisation is one of them. The stated aim of the latter is to generate fresh inbound tourism to the country.
The House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Japan’s parliament, passed on Tuesday the IR Implementation Bill. That paves the way for the bill to be heard and passed by the upper chamber, the House of Councillors.
If the bill gets the nod in the current session, a number of industry executives expect the first casino licences to be issued in around the year 2020, with the first resorts to open for operation in 2025.
This is the first time since 2015 that the Ordinary Diet Session has been extended, and passage the IR Bill is cited as the main reason for the decision.
Source: GMB / GGR Asia
