Ruling camp begins talks on how many casinos Japan should have

March 1, 2018

Tokyo- The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, Komeito, on Wednesday started full internal discussions on how many regions in Japan should initially be allowed to have casinos under a planned law.

To set the ceiling, the ruling parties will need to examine not only benefits to regional economies but also measures to address gambling addiction.

Another key issue is casino entrance fees, put at 2,000 yen in a government proposal, sources familiar with the situation said.

In their respective project team meetings, the LDP and Komeito received a report on the planned law from the government.

The government hopes to include the ceiling in the legislation needed to introduce casino-featuring integrated resorts, or IRs. A provision will also be included so that the number of casinos may be raised later.

It aims to submit the legislation to the ongoing session of the Diet, the country's parliament, ending in June.

Komeito is considering setting the ceiling at two or three locations at the start, as discussed during Diet deliberations on the IR facilitation law enacted in December 2016. The planned bill will spell out basic details of casinos and other IR facilities.

Some LDP lawmakers say that at least five casinos should be allowed in order to revive regional economies, as more municipalities are moving to host IRs. Currently, such moves are seen in Hokkaido as well as in the cities of Yokohama, Osaka, Wakayama and Sasebo.

The government has proposed an entrance fee of 2,000 yen for residents in Japan as a disincentive to play in casinos. But some LDP and Komeito members say the proposed level is too low, given the fee of some 8,000 yen in Singapore.

Regarding a government plan to charge casino operators 30 pct of their revenues as a casino tax, some ruling lawmakers called for setting the tax rate at a reasonable level.

The government hopes to submit the legislation in mid-March, the sources said. Jiji Press