Hokkaido is reconsidering a bid to host one of Japan’s integrated resort (IR) licences, five years after abandoning plans due to environmental concerns, as momentum builds across several municipalities in the northern prefecture.
Governor Naomichi Suzuki said the regional government was reassessing the opportunity amid shifting economic conditions.
“Circumstances are changing,” Suzuki said at a press briefing last month. “We view IR as a potential project that could contribute to Hokkaido’s development by attracting private investment and boosting tourism-related spending.”
Japan legalised casino resorts in 2018 and authorised up to three IR licences. Hokkaido initially planned to compete in the first bidding round with a proposed site in Tomakomai’s Uenae district near Chitose Airport, backed by Hard Rock International as the operator. The prefecture withdrew from consideration in 2019 after endangered bird habitats were identified near the site, leaving insufficient time for environmental impact assessments.
Multiple Hokkaido municipalities have now expressed renewed interest. Tomakomai, under its newly elected pro-IR mayor Suguru Kanazawa, has indicated it is willing to re-enter the race. Kushiro Mayor Hidenori Tsuruma has floated Lake Akan as a possible tourism anchor, though the location could face environmental scrutiny due to protected natural sites and the presence of Ainu cultural heritage.
Hakodate Mayor Jun Oizumi said the city is in an information-gathering phase. Analyst Daniel Cheng previously observed that Hakodate “would likely attract significant interest from international operators if the political climate favours the tendering of the remaining two casino licences.”
Hard Rock could seek to revive its earlier concept, which featured a guitar-shaped hotel, Four Seasons-branded resort, performance venue, shopping facilities and casino. The plan also incorporated “an authentic Ainu village experience, designed to help raise awareness for the local indigenous Ainu people,” according to the company’s previous proposal.
Environmental resistance remains a likely obstacle for any bid. Hokkaido has not confirmed whether it will formally seek an IR licence, and the central government has not yet announced a schedule for reopening applications.
AloJapan.com