Japan plans to invite prefectures to submit proposals for a second integrated resort licensing round in 2027. The source says investors have raised concerns about the short timetable and uncertainty over central government coordination; it gives no further details of the process.
The timetable and coordination questions could affect prefectures and investors considering proposals for another integrated resort.
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Japan’s Tourism Agency confirmed a new six-month bidding round for integrated resort licences, running from May to November 2027. Two licences are available; Hokkaido and Nagasaki are identified as possible bidders, while Hard Rock International has been proposed as a partner for a Hokkaido project.
Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi directed Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko to resume efforts to promote integrated resorts. The Japan Casino Regulatory Commission is expected to begin a second round of licence bidding in 2026; lawmakers approved one bid, from MGM Resorts International and Orix Corporation, in 2023.
Hokkaido prefecture will reportedly not apply for an integrated resort with a casino during Japan’s 2027 application window, which runs from 6 May to 5 November. The prefecture is reported to need more time to prepare a development plan, while continuing work on the initiative without setting a timetable for its procedures.
Oto town plans to submit its integrated resort proposal to Fukuoka prefecture in October and seek prefectural assembly consideration in December, Mayor Joji Nagahara said. The town needs prefectural backing to advance the proposal as Japan prepares to accept new IR applications in 2027.
Aichi Prefecture has launched a request for proposals as it considers an integrated resort bid in Japan, according to the report. The prefecture selected a site at Chubu Centrair International Airport; applications for the country’s second bidding window are due from 6 May through 5 November 2027.