Hokkaido Business Groups Urge Prefecture to Pursue 2027 IR Bid

Hokkaido’s business community is calling on the prefectural government to move faster on plans for an integrated resort (IR) with a casino, as the deadline approaches for Japan’s second round of IR applications.

Business Community Pushes for Action

Eight business organisations in Hokkaido are expected to submit a formal request to Governor Naomichi Suzuki on September 8, urging the prefecture to accelerate preparations for an IR bid.

The organisations include the Hokkaido Economic Federation. According to local media reports, the submission would be the first formal IR-related request from the business community to the prefectural government since November 2019.

That previous request came shortly before Suzuki announced that Hokkaido would not participate in Japan’s first national IR application round.

2027 Application Window

Japan’s second IR application period is scheduled to run from May 6 to November 5, 2027. Business groups are concerned that delays in the prefecture’s decision-making process could leave Hokkaido unable to meet the timetable.

The concern comes as Hokkaido also prepares for a gubernatorial election scheduled for next spring, adding another potential factor to the prefecture’s IR planning process.

The prefecture has recently taken steps to assess investor interest. Last month, three international casino operators and 12 Japanese companies responded to questionnaires seeking information about potential investment in an Hokkaido IR project.

Tomakomai Remains a Leading Candidate

Tomakomai, an industrial port city on Hokkaido’s south-central coast, has long been viewed as the leading potential location for the prefecture’s IR project.

The city has previously worked on plans for an integrated resort and is seeking to update its concept ahead of the new national application round.

If Hokkaido proceeds, it would join a small number of Japanese jurisdictions seeking to secure one of the country’s limited IR licences.

MGM Osaka Remains Japan’s Only Approved IR

Japan currently has only one approved integrated resort: MGM Osaka, a JPY1.51 trillion (approximately US$9.58 billion) project being developed by MGM Resorts International with Japanese partners.

The resort, located on Yumeshima, is scheduled to open at the end of 2030.

Omura Explores Alternative IR Model

Meanwhile, interest in IR development is also emerging in other parts of Japan.

In Nagasaki prefecture, Omura City held the first meeting of the Omura Bay Green IR Feasibility Study Promotion Council on September 2. The group is examining the possibility of developing an IR in the region while exploring entertainment options beyond casino gaming.

Omura Mayor Hirofumi Sonoda said the group would discuss “the feasibility of IRs in local areas [rather than metropolitan areas] and also new entertainment forms other than casinos.”

The study group aims to develop a basic IR concept and make recommendations to the central government regarding potential changes to regulations governing the scale of core IR facilities.

However, Omura cannot submit an IR application directly to the national government. Under Japan’s framework, applications must be submitted by a prefecture or an ordinance-designated city.

Nagasaki prefecture previously submitted an unsuccessful IR bid during Japan’s first application round, which concluded in December 2023.