The new Prime Minister of Japan, Koyumi Takahashi, has recently instructed the Minister of Land and Communications (the Minister in charge of the Tour Chamber) Kim Qi Kyu, to restart Japan’s comprehensive resort plan. As a follower of Abe, the city ‘ s policy of promoting tourism and foreign investment through the development of integrated resorts was renewed. It was revealed that she had authorized Kim Koshin to “advance the construction of a comprehensive resort to achieve an attractive residential tourism model”.
With the passage of the Comprehensive Resort Implementation Act in 2018, the Japanese Diet launched a plan to build three integrated resorts across Japan, which triggered a boom in investment. International operators such as the Quinsha Group in Las Vegas, the Youngli resort and the New Ziboa Entertainment have been active in preparing competitions for licences. However, with the onset of the epidemic, the project stalled and most mainstream operators withdrew. In 2023, the Government of Japan approved only the Osaka comprehensive resort programme, which was submitted jointly by the United States International Hotel Group and the Orex Group. In April of this year, $8.9 billion worth of US$ 8.9 billion in US$ 8.9 billion in US$ 8.9 billion was officially launched in Osaka Bay, and is expected to open in 2030. It is estimated that approximately 20 million visitors will be received in the year after the project is completed.
To take full advantage of the opportunity, the city of Osaka is in the process of launching the retrofitting of the former World Park and developing commercial and leisure facilities around integrated resorts. In last Friday’s first governance speech, Kosumi proposed the establishment of a “growth strategy conference” to promote economic development. At the same time, the Japanese Lottery Regulatory Commission expects to launch a second round of tenders for the general resort licence in 2026. Hokkaido News reported in May that “a number of prefectures, including Hokkaido, have expressed interest”. Hardstone International had previously shown its investment intentions in Hokkaido.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Hardstone International Asia Region, Ed Tresi, recently stated in an interview: “We have always maintained a high level of attention and commitment. The Hardstone restaurant has been plowing in Japan for more than four decades, and we are convinced that Japan will be one of the top two to three global lottery markets. If we are to wait patiently to become Japan’s partners, we have proved our resolve — we have always stood firm when most listed companies choose to withdraw.”