Former tourism chief calls for balanced IR plans

Sunday 24th of September 2017

Former head of the Japan Tourism Agency Norifumi Ide gave a wide-ranging presentation at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel last Friday to dozens of businessmen representing both international casino operators as well as interested domestic enterprises.

The event, which was held as the 7th Japan Tourism Research Association Seminar, lasted for about an hour and consisted mainly of Mr. Ide giving his detailed response to the Experts’ Committee report—expected to form the basis of the forthcoming IR Implementation Bill.

The views offered by Mr. Ide were similar to those of others with concerns that some aspects of the current plan may not be optimal to achieve the country’s business goals. For example, he questioned the advisability of setting an absolute limit on casino floor space even in the case that the overall size of an IR is quite large. Also, he pointed out that requiring use of the MyNumber Card for Japan residents in order to enter the casinos may not be practical, suggesting that other forms of identification should also be accepted.

Mr. Ide is broadly supportive of the establishment of IRs in Japan, seeing it as a useful means for promoting tourism. He notes, however, that IRs form only one part of the overall national strategy to make Japan an attractive destination for international travelers. Government regulators must aim to enhance the benefits of the IRs for the nation at the same time they minimize the harm of gambling addiction and other problems.

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