A recent survey conducted by the Kyodo news agency revealed that only three locations in Japan had positively confirmed their desire to host an integrated resort (IR). These include Osaka, Wakayama and Nagasaki, while others were either “considering making an application” or had no interest. One of those that was said to be considering vying for an IR was Nagoya, which has now confirmed that it is contemplating whether or not to place a bid, adding that it will make a decision by this summer.
The mayor of the city has acknowledged that his administration is preparing to hold exploratory discussions on the subject with consultants and resort operators. GGRAsia states that one of its correspondents learned that Kawamura expects any IR to be located within no more than 30 minutes from the city’s main railway station and could possibly cover between 12.4 and 24.8 acres.
If Nagoya waits too long to make its decision, it might be too late. Japanese officials have already indicated that they would start reviewing bids by the summer and a serious amount of schmoozing between casino operators and target cities began more than a year ago. Given the popularity of the three cities that have already confirmed their interest, Nagoya may have a hard time competing unless it can provide a plan that would blow the others away.
For any local government to submit an IR bid, it must first find a gambler partner. This would most likely only occur following a lengthy study into the logistics of hosting an IR, as well as research into suitable partners.
Nagoya is the largest city in the Aichi prefecture, as well as its capital. Since the IR Implementation Act stipulates that bids can be submitted from any local government down to the “ordinance level,” GGRAsia points out that it is possible to have two bids appear from Nagoya – one for the prefecture and another for the city.
Should the Aichi prefecture choose to enter the race, it reportedly has already picked out an ideal location. It has selected an artificial island on Ise Bay where the Chubu Centrair International Airport is located. That airport services as many as 20 million passengers annually.
