Protest Signatures Delivered as Nagasaki IR Process Moves Forward

An anti-casino citizen’s group delivered its protest signatures to the Nagasaki Prefectural Government last week, but the final selection process for operator consortiums moved forward smoothly.

The Stop Casino! Prefectural Citizens Network, which launched its activities in March 2019, handed over a total of 10,416 signatures of local residents opposed to the construction of the IR at Huis Ten Bosch, all of which they had collected by hitting the streets of the prefecture and appealing to passersby.

Representing the government was Takeshi Komiya, the chief of the Nagasaki IR Promotion Division, who politely accepted the pile of signed anti-casino statements.

The consortium selection process is now moving into its final lap, with all three of the groups which passed the last round—Casinos Austria, Oshidori-Mohegan and Niki & Chau Fwu (Parkview)—having successfully submitted their final bids.

The latter group issued a press release on the occasion, with Executive Vice President of the Niki Etsuko Oishi, representing the Niki & Chau Fwu (Parkview) group, commenting, “We have planned and designed a world-class Integrated Resort for Nagasaki. It will attract premium tourists to Kyushu, contribute to the revitalization of the local economy, and become a major platform as an important Integrated Resort in Asia. We look forward to working with local communities and local governments in the process of bringing some of the world’s leading facilities to the region.”