We Want Casino

Lawmakers are getting enthusiastic on unleashing gambling mind of the Japanese. Non-partisan conference on lifting the ban on casino concluded that they require the national government to allow gambling not only for foreigners but the Japanese. While they expect economic gain from casino, there is a big concern addiction of gambling. Without any obvious reason, those lawmakers overwhelmingly affiliates to conservative position.

Lawmakers with various parties submitted a bill for lifting a ban on casino late last year. The bill requires national government to arrange operational bill for necessary institution or regulation within one year after the casino law, or Integrated Resort Bill, will pass. Although the bill has not passed the Diet, supporters in legislative branch are increasing.

The conference was held for accelerating the legislative process to build a first casino in Japan. They agreed on demanding the government to take appropriate measure for avoiding negative impact on Japanese citizens. That was in other words to avoid deep argument by outsourcing actual measures preventing addiction from provisions of the law to executive branch.

The conference also required certain restrictions on Japanese customers, first integrated resort to be limited in two or three places, and maximum effort to catch up Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020. The lawmakers regard the gambling as “fourth arrow” of Abenomics.

There were some participants in the conference from local governments. Okinawa is one of the most positive local governments in Japan. “It’s rather not gambling but economic policy operated in all over the world. Not denying before the starting point, we need to make a close look at it,” told Governor Hirokazu Nakaima in local congress. Okinawa counts on economic impact of integrated resort in Okinawa as ten thousands of jobs and ¥500 million of economic effect.

But bureaucratic mind is always hanging around of those new attempts. Concern of addiction directly connected to regulatory measures. Police are worried about increase of crimes around casino. While the conservatives are frustrated Chinese influence in Japan, they are relying on money dropped by the Chinese, or other Asian nations’, travelers. After all, they want Japan to be an ordinary country with casino, as they have seen in sightseeing in foreign countries.