The Japanese administration has put forward the name of Michio Kitamura, a former legal compliance director at the Defense Ministry, to lead the newly formed regulatory body for casino management commissions.
Kitamura is among several contenders for the new regulatory body, which the government intends to officially establish in January of the following year. Other potential candidates include Kenhiro Uji, former Director of the Nagoya Regional Tax Office of the National Tax Agency, Noriko Endo, Professor at Keio University Graduate School, Kenji Higuchi, former Commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, and Michiko Watanabe, a psychiatrist.
All appointments need the approval of the Japanese Diet (parliament), and the government aims to secure approval before the current Diet session concludes on December 9.
According to the Jiji Press news agency, the government might encounter resistance to these appointments, with the Japanese Constitutional Democratic Party anticipated to oppose the move.
The Japanese administration has been developing a strategy for a five-person committee to manage the nation’s integrated resorts, aiming to begin operations on January 7, 2020. This committee will function as an autonomous entity under the Cabinet Office and will employ 100 personnel.
The committee will consist of divisions for financial monitoring, regulatory supervision, planning, research, and general matters. It will also be accountable for handling license applications for the three integrated resorts, as well as implementing rules and overseeing the market.
The committee was initially planned to be formed in July, but its creation was postponed. Following its establishment, the final regulations may be revealed, with some reports suggesting this could also occur in January 2020.
Japan has not yet chosen the locations for the integrated resorts or the operators who will manage each resort. The first location is projected to open as early as 2025.
Rules approved in March specify that resort operators must acquire a casino business license to construct their casinos, as well as a casino facility service license to operate the venue. Gambling facilities cannot exceed 3% of the total area of the venue. These rules were made public as part of a consultation that commenced in September and concluded on October 3.
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