The Abe government controls more than enough seats in the National Diet to force passage of the IR Implementation Bill, but the latest opinion poll underlines that it is not simply the opposition parties, but also the majority of Japanese public which rejects the plan to legalize casino gambling in Japan.

In answer to the question of whether or not they felt it was “necessary” to pass the IR Bill in the current Diet session, 69 percent of the respondents told Kyodo News that it was “not necessary.”

As usual, the phrasing of the question was not ideal and may have led to the lopsided results, but even fairer phrasing would likely have shown that a majority of Japanese do not agree with the government’s current legislative push.

In immediate practical terms, this is unlikely to make a difference since the government is determined to enact the IR Bill, but public opposition may have substantial ramifications at later stages of the IR building process.