Japan Current Corporation, a company that was previously interested in developing Nagasaki’s integrated resort (IR), said Shotoku Corporation, one of the group’s affiliates, was acting as an “advisory” for the purpose of “attracting” the Shinjo city’s integrated resort project in the Tohoku region of Japan’s main island.

Shotokusa executive Hideenobu Takagi said in an email to GGRAsia.

“On the 10th of this month, the Shinjo IR Attraction Committee was established in Shinjo City, Yamagata Prefecture, with the aim of attracting IR, and the committee appointed Shotokusa as an advisor,” Takagi said.

“Shotokusa will provide multi-faceted support to attract the new city IR,” he added

The city of Shinjo is a small community of about 35,000 people close to the city of Yamagata. The latter settlement has about 250,000 residents and is the prefecture’s capital.

“Shotoku Corporation is not a bidder at the moment because Yamagata Prefecture has not yet held an open call,” Mr Takagi said of the casino resort in an email exchange with GGRAsia.

In the process of “opening” regarding casino resorts in Yamagata Prefecture, the executive clarified that Shotokusa was “willing to bid” to become a partner in those plans.

Takagi emphasized that “onsen” and “countryside” will be “important keywords” although he cannot reveal specific concepts at this time. The term “hot spring” is a type of hot spring resort in Japanese that is popular with domestic and foreign tourists.

A window for Japanese local governments to apply for the right to hold the first stage of liberalization IR opened on October 1st and will be open until April 28th next year.

Mr Takagi also said the “regional consortium” was “actively lobbying the city (Shinjo) and the prefecture so that it can proceed as quickly as possible.” However, he did not comment “with respect to the intentions of Yamagata Prefecture” regarding his appeal to the government.

“The strings are not necessarily to follow,” he said, a process that involves requesting concepts and requests for proposals, as has happened elsewhere in Japan.

Referring to other prefectures that expressed interest in holding IR but decided against it, management said: “There were cases where the process took a long time, but the results were disrupted.” Shinjo and Yamagata prefectures “at least considered these points,” Takagi said.

He also said, “I discussed this creed IR with businessmen in the Tohoku region, including Fukushima Prefecture, and they support it and know the idea that it will help rebuild the Tohoku region.”

Under Japan’s liberalization program, up to three resorts are allowed nationwid

BY: 파친코