Yokohama business leaders to establish IR promotion council

Leaders of the Yokohama Chamber of Commerce & Industry are making another push for an IR bid in their city, this time announcing that they will form an “IR Promotion Council” by the end of the year.
President Takashi Ueno stated, “I believe that an IR is indispensable for the economic development of Yokohama. Although there are voices of opposition, I ask for their understanding.”
Vice-President Morihiko Kawamoto added, “There are too many for whom ‘IR’ equals ‘casino’ which in turn equals ‘gambling addiction.’ To start with, IRs are not understood.”
Kawamoto is president of the Kawamoto Industry Corporation, a local construction-related firm.
The Yokohama Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been vocally supportive of an IR bid for several years, but public opinion is strongly opposed to the project, as is Yokohama Harbor Transport Association Chairman Yukio Fujiki, who wields great influence over the prospective Yamashita Pier location.
The formal establishment of the IR Promotion Council will wait until after the Unified Local Elections, another tacit admission that local public opinion is decidedly negative toward an IR bid.

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