Ruling parties agree to develop 3 casino resorts in Japan

April 3, 2018

Tokyo- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition ally, Komeito, agreed Monday to build casino-featuring integrated resorts at three locations in the country.

The LDP had called for developing Japan's first casino resorts in four to five places while Komeito had favored the idea of limiting the number to two to three.

At Monday's talks, the LDP offered to make a deal with three casino resorts on condition that the ceiling on the number of such resorts be reviewed seven years after approval of the first facility compared with 10 years initially considered. Komeito agreed with the compromise plan, sources with access to the talks said.

But the two parties failed to reach an agreement on the casino entrance fee.

Komeito has demanded that the entry fee be set at 8,000 yen per person, as in Singapore, while the LDP has insisted on 5,000 yen, citing a difference in per capita gross domestic product between Japan and Singapore.

The two parties will continue discussing the entrance fee issue, the sources said, adding that they will also review their already agreed plan to collect from casino resort operators 30 percent of their revenues as tax. Jiji Press