Opposition Growing Against Yokohama IR Project Ahead of Mayoral Poll

In a move that will boost the resistance against Yokohama IR project, Yukio Fujiki, chairman of the Yokohama Harbor Resort Association, formed an organisation called Yokohama Future Concept Conference.

The main objective of the organisation is to supporting a candidate who takes an anti-casino stance in the mayoral election in Yokohoma. The election is scheduled to be held on 22 August.

In the inaugural conference, Fujiki lashed out against Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga for supporting the IR project in the city and declared that the city did not require to depend on casinos.

Evoking popular sentiments, Fujiki thundered in the conference: “Yamashita Wharf is a ‘diamond’ of the earth. It is a place that will tell the fortune of what Yokohama and Japan will do for the future.”

The IR project still has strong support from organisations such as Yokohama Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

It must be noted that four big gambling companies are reportedly vying to get entry into the Yokohama’s proposed IR scene: Genting Singapore, Melco Resorts, Sega Sammy Holdings and Shotoku.