Nagasaki Prefecture Eyes January Launch for IR RFP Process

Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture has announced a draft of its Kyushu/Nagasaki IR Specified Complex Tourist Facility Implementation Policy that will see a new round of public feedback followed by the planned launch of its Request for Proposal (RFP) in January 2021.

The prefecture has previously published its implementation policy (draft) in April of this year based on the results of an earlier round of public comments received from December 2019 to January 2020. However, following a lengthy delay to the national government’s IR Tourist Facility Development Basic Policy release, including the postponement of the submissions period for IR bids from January 2021 to October 2021, the content of the Nagasaki draft has been partially changed and they will now receive public feedback on the amended parts over the coming months.

An official from Nagasaki prefecture’s IR Promotion Department said, “The main changes in the revised draft are the schedule, content that ensures security, health and safety of the IR area and the facility, and enhancing measures against problem gambling.”

The department official also commented on the delay in the government’s basic policy for the bid plan, saying, “We have changed Nagasaki’s schedule to reflect that of the national basic policy.”

On November 16, in addition to the three operators who had previously indicated their interest in a Nagasaki IR, Japan’s Pixel Companyz also threw its hat into the ring.

“We have conveyed the appeal and feasibility of an IR in Kyushu/Nagasaki to operators. Operators are gaining a deeper understanding of this and we welcome the participation of many operators,” the official said.