Japan‘s citizens remain broadly opposed to lifting a ban on casino gambling, according to a new survey released on the day the country’s politicians plan to hold a vote on casino legislation.
According to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey conducted over the weekend, 57% of respondents oppose plans to relax the constitutional ban on casino gambling, while just 34% are in favor. While still a sizable majority, the ‘no’ side reported even higher opposition (63%) in a similar survey in October 2014, while just 24% were in favor.
Male respondents were evenly split on the merits of casinos, while 65% of women stood opposed compared to just 24% in favor. Older respondents were also less likely to favor casinos, while 50% of respondents who support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were opposed compared with 44% in favor.
The survey comes the same day that the LDP is pushing for a plenary session vote in the House of Representatives on the so-called Integrated Resorts Promotion (IR) bill. A House Cabinet committee approved the IR bill on Friday after the conservative Komeito party, the LDP’s coalition partner, opted not to take a stance pro or con on the bill.
The Japanese media has been in a tizzy ever since Friday’s vote, with some outlets decrying the fact that the IR bill was subjected to ‘only’ six hours debate before the committee vote. Despite the fact that the LDP has been trying to pass a version of the IR bill for three years now, the committee vote somehow caught many political figures off guard.
The IR bill must be approved by both legislative chambers before the Diet’s current session concludes on December 14. The Upper House could prove to be the tougher nut to crack, as the bill’s first stop is a committee chaired by a member of the anti-casino Democratic Party, whose members stormed out of Friday’s committee vote in protest.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe supports the idea that casinos could give Japan’s tourism industry a shot in the arm. But cynics are accusing Abe of engaging in some serious public relations shenanigans to ensure the IR bill successfully sneaks through the Diet.
Late on Monday, Abe made the surprise announcement that he will visit the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii this month with US President Barack Obama to pay respects to the servicemen killed in the December 7, 1941 attack by Japanese airplanes on the US Pacific fleet.
The Daily Beast’s Jake Adelstein accused Abe of using the visit as a media magnet to distract attention away from the casino vote. Adelstein claimed “no one is more adept at burying a story than Japanese authorities.”
