Japan's Hakodate steps back from casino resort plans once again
Japan’s Hakodate city has once again stepped back from the idea of hosting an integrated resort (IR) with a casino, with Mayor Jun Oizumi confirming that the city is not ready to pursue such a project.
Speaking during a regular press briefing on Monday, Oizumi said Hakodate is “nowhere near” the stage of putting itself forward as an IR candidate. He explained that there has been very little public discussion on the issue and that the city council has yet to hold any meaningful debate about whether a casino resort would be suitable for the city.
Instead of rushing into a decision, the mayor said Hakodate would continue taking a cautious approach. “We will closely monitor the development of the Osaka IR,” Oizumi said, adding that the city would only consider moving forward if the long-term economic benefits for regional revitalisation become clear.
No immediate plans to promote IR
For now, he stressed, Hakodate has no plans to actively promote an integrated resort. The announcement comes as Hokkaido prefecture continues exploring whether it should eventually join Japan’s next round of IR applications.
Earlier this month, the prefectural government confirmed it would send questionnaires between July and August to all 179 municipalities across Hokkaido, along with selected casino operators and financial institutions. While the contents of the survey have not been released publicly, it is widely expected to measure interest in developing an integrated resort within the prefecture.
The consultation follows a preliminary policy draft released in June that outlined the purpose and possible direction of a Hokkaido IR. However, the document stopped short of committing the prefecture to submitting an official bid.
Discussions have also continued through Hokkaido’s IR expert panel. At its fifth meeting on 16 July, members reviewed feedback on the draft policy documents, including The Basic Stance on IR of Hokkaido Prefecture and The Hokkaido-Style IR Concept.
Debate ongoing for years
Hokkaido plans to submit updated drafts of its IR policy documents to the prefectural assembly in September before finalising them in October. The debate over a possible Hokkaido IR has been ongoing for several years.
Last year, the prefecture surveyed all 179 municipalities about whether they supported hosting an integrated resort. At the time, only Tomakomai and Hakodate expressed interest in hosting one themselves. Another 79 municipalities said they generally supported the idea of Hokkaido having an IR, while the remaining 98 were not interested.
Hakodate’s position has since changed. In September last year, city officials also said they were in “no position” to pursue a bid, and Mayor Oizumi’s latest remarks reinforce that stance.
That leaves Tomakomai as the prefecture’s most likely candidate if Hokkaido eventually decides to move forward. The port city had previously shown strong interest during Japan’s first IR bidding process before Hokkaido chose not to participate in 2019.
Japan’s next IR application window will run from 6 May to 5 November 2027. So far, MGM Osaka, a JPY1.51 trillion ($9.22 billion) development scheduled to open in 2030, remains the country’s only approved integrated resort. Its performance is expected to play a major role in shaping how other regions, including Hokkaido, approach future casino resort plans.
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