In Japan, with the launch of a Request for Proposals (RFP), the Japanese prefecture of Aichi has confirmed that it is evaluating submitting a bid to obtain an integrated resort (IR) license. The move marks the formal start of a process that could transform the region into a top-tier international tourist destination.
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The second round of bidding in Japan takes shape
In the first round of 2023, the Japanese government received applications for three available licenses, but only evaluated two proposals. Only one was successful: the one submitted by MGM Resorts International and Orix Corp to develop an integrated resort in Osaka, a project valued at $10.200 million dollars located on the artificial island of Yumeshima, in Osaka Bay. Its construction began in April 2025 and it is expected to open its doors in 2030.
The government rejected a second bid, submitted by Casinos Austria for the Nagasaki region, due to financing issues. That precedent left the door open for a new call for proposals.
The second round of bidding is scheduled for 2027, with an application period between May 6 and November 5 of that year.
An industry that took a decade to take off
Ten years have passed since Japan legalized integrated resorts with the approval of the Integrated Resort Promotion Act of 2016. Two years later, in 2018, parliament enacted complementary legislation to define the designated zones, and competition among international operators began to take shape.
Global gaming giants such as Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts and Melco Resorts & Entertainment expressed their interest in the Japanese market, which some analysts even described as the next great global gaming destination. The most optimistic lawmakers anticipated that the first resorts would already be in operation by 2025.
However, several factors delayed the process: the slowness of government deliberations, regulations considered excessively restrictive by operators, including limitations on gaming space, and finally the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which completely paralyzed progress.
The landscape began to change last December, when the new Casino Regulatory Commission met for the first time. Added to this is the political support of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, elected in October and a recognized follower of the legacy of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who promoted integrated resorts as a tool to attract investment and international tourism.
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Chubu Centrair: a strategic location for the Aichi casino
Aichi Prefecture has a very specific site in mind: Chubu Centrair International Airport, which it describes as one of the world’s leading industrial hubs, with a wide range of tourist resources in its surroundings. The stated goal is to turn the area into an international tourist city specializing in meetings, incentives, conferences, and events tourism, known as MICE tourism.
Gaming analyst Andrew Klebanow describes the location as practically ideal. Speaking to the specialized media outlet iGB, he highlighted that the airport connects to about 20 regional and international destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, and that from the baggage claim area to the casino it would be just an eight-minute walk. In addition, he pointed out the existence of a ferry terminal and an underutilized convention center behind the complex, along with thousands of hotel rooms with available capacity.
Another factor in its favor is that, being an artificial island near Nagoya, the prefectural capital, the probability of facing opposition from local communities is low.
Aichi seeks to reverse population decline and tourism stagnation
The prefecture already considered submitting a proposal in the first round but desisted due to the complications generated by the pandemic. In February of this year, Governor Hideaki Omura reaffirmed Aichi’s interest, arguing that an integrated resort could contribute to slowing population decline and revitalizing regional tourism.
“We need to make the city more attractive to prevent people from leaving. It is essential to attract people from both inside and outside Japan,” Omura stated, as reported by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
Chubu Centrair Airport currently has the capacity to serve 12 million passengers per year and has set a goal of reaching 20 million by 2030.
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