Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN AUG 2019 44 JAPAN IAG speaks with Shinichi Yoshida, Policy Director of Nagasaki Prefecture Planning and Promotion Department, about the progress of Nagasaki’s IR bid. Driving revitalization Tomo Yamamoto: In Nagasaki both public and private bodies are working together for the IR bid. When did that start to happen? Shinichi Yoshida: As soon as we got set up. The driving force was the former Democratic Party administration. But this will never change, even though the administration has. TY: What is the reason behind this? Is it the prefecture’s residents? SY: We need to stop the falling population and revitalize the region. In order to do that, there is a lot of will to do things that will stabilize employment, expand employment and promote the economy. A consensus has been formed and both political and business forces are united in firing the Kyushu/ Nagasaki IR bid as the first bullet for Kyushu. This has given impetus and created a stage for success. TY: Is ground access to the IR location an issue? SY: We decided to purchase the western part of Huis Ten Bosch at a reasonable price. It faces Omura Bay and takes about 30 minutes by high speed boat from Nagasaki Airport. Osaka and Seoul are around 1 hour and 15 minutes to Nagasaki Airport, too. Shanghai is a little closer to Nagasaki than Tokyo. There are five