On January 22, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wants to move forward on a plan to introduce integrated resorts (IR) in Japan. This despite an ongoing bribery scandal involving a former official with the Japanese legislature.
During the plenary meeting of the House of Representatives earlier this week, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano asked the prime minister about the arrest of Tsukasa Akimoto, the former state minister of the Cabinet Office in charge of the IR policy. He has been accused of accepting bribes from a Chinese sports lottery operator and has since resigned after the allegations became public.
This has led to some officials calling for the repeal of the integrated resorts law, which passed over two years ago. The bribery scandal has many questioning the viability of the law, especially in light of how long it has taken for the government to get to this point. However, Abe assured the parliament that plans were moving forward.
“The government is going to set up the foundation of the tourism nation at full speed in 2020,” Abe told the parliament during the plenary session. “The government is strongly committed to achieving the goal of [receiving] 60 million inbound visitors in 2030.”
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the allegations are of concern. He told Edano that he was taking the charges seriously, but said the government would proceed with their plan. He pointed out that the newly established casino management committee demonstrates that the government is moving forward with the plan to create these integrated resorts.
The problem for Abe now is to regain the momentum and enthusiasm for the projects. Because of how long it has taken since the law was first passed, many in the public have lost interest in these projects altogether.
There are three licenses that are expected to be issued to operate casinos for these integrated resorts, and the application process is still in its early stages. None of the three licenses is expected to be issued until at least 2021, and this has left some in the public wondering if these projects are even worth pursuing at all.
This is the challenge that the Prime Minister faces, as he hopes to reinvigorate both the parliament and the country in favor of these integrated resorts. This is a daunting task considering that it will not be until 2030 when these resorts are expected to be completed.
