The Japanese government approved a IR development plan submitted by Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City. It was the first approval in Japan, and casino license will be examined later on.
Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City submitted the plan in April 2022 to develop an integrated resort with an international convention center, hotels and casino in the artificial island ‘Yumeshima’ of Osaka Bay in autumn or winter 2029. An international convention center will consist of a large-scale international conference venue and small and medium-sized rooms, which accommodate 12,000 or more persons in total.
Three hotels with about 2,500 rooms in total will be built, and Kansai Tourism Center with a tourism concierge function will open.
The IR project is led by Osaka IR consortium that consists of 20 stockholders including MGM Resort Japan, ORIX and major Osaka-based companies.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, “IR is a important project for our tourism strategy to attract more tourists from other parts of Japan and foreign countries. It is expected to be a tourism hub to deliver attractiveness of Japan to the world.”
Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura commented on Twitter, “We are working together for one of the world-best IR with strict casino rules.”
