Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAPAN JAN 2021 34 Rumors abound of a Tokyo bid, said to be set for the Odaiba region of the city. Tokyo’s popular and intelligent Governor Yuriko Koike (who may even have ambitions to move to national politics) has quietly been taking the steps necessary to keep her options open, while not expending political capital by openly announcing a bid. The 2021 Tokyo Olympics, delayed 12 months because of the coronavirus pandemic, are unlikely to interfere. A Tokyo bid would immediately energize and attract the world’s largest IR companies, who would salivate at the opportunity to own an IR at the epicenter of such a massive population base. After Tokyo, the next most likely place to raise their hand is Aichi prefecture. Governor Hideaki Omura has previously expressed a preference for a site at Chubu Centrair International Airport, which services Japan’s third-largest city, Nagoya. The prefecture has previously held an RFC process and has a budget set aside for developmental work, which is a positive sign. Much like Yokohama, Chiba is within the Tokyo metropolitan area, albeit on the other side of the bay. The widely proposed site is Makuhari New City, just under an hour by train from the heart of Tokyo. However, upcoming Mayoral and Gubernatorial elections may interfere. Until the aforementioned withdrawal from the race, Hokkaido ’s candidate area was the Uenae district of Tomakomai city, located near Shinchitose Airport, the main airport servicing Hokkaido and its capital Sapporo. A large 1,000-hectare plot of land was earmarked, but HokkaidoGovernorNaomichi Suzuki determined, “There is a high possibility that the candidate location serves Dutch-style theme park Huis Ten Bosch has long been the selected site for an IR development in Nagasaki. オランダの街並みを再現したハウステンボスは長い間長崎でのIR開発候補地になっている COVER STORY

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