Japan gives green signal to build country’s first-ever casino

The Japan government is planning to inaugurate the casino in the western city of Osaka by 2029

Hyderabad: In order to revive its economy, the Japanese government is trying hard to boost its tourism industry as it is one of the major contributors to the Japanese economy. To attract more tourists to the country, Japan is all set to introduce its first-ever casino in the country.

The government on Friday approved a plan to build its first-ever casino in Japan after examining the project from multiple angles. The government is planning to inaugurate the casino in the western city of Osaka by 2029. The tourism ministry of Japan spent almost a year understanding the concept and its impact on the economy before approving the project.

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It has long been a goal of the local governments of Osaka and Nagasaki to construct an Integrated Resort (IR) with casinos, hotels, restaurants, and other entertainment venues. But as of now, the government approved only Osaka’s demand to build the 5.3 million-square-foot IR.

https://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2023041400256

Casinos have long been under ban in Japan. However, the country passed legislation in 2016 to lift the ban, and a law was passed in 2018 to legalize the industry. The Japanese government took the controversial decision to boost tourism and create employment opportunities in the country.

The move received a mixed response from the public with many concerned about addiction to gambling and the rise in crime rate.

Local governments seeking approval to build IR complexes need to come up with proper plans to prevent addiction to gambling.

According to the news from the Jiji Press, the PM of Japan said the government decided to consider a similar plan put forward by Nagasaki’s local government.