GGRAsia – Nagasaki delaying RFP process amid Covid-19 woes

Nagasaki delaying RFP process amid Covid-19 woes

Apr 22, 2020 Newsdesk Japan, Latest News, Top of the deck

Japan’s Nagasaki prefecture says it will now launch in a “couple of months” – instead of the previously-mentioned spring time frame – its request-for-proposal (RFP) phase to find private-sector partners in its tilt at having a casino resort. That is according to information relayed to GGRAsia from the local government.

“At this moment, our main priority is to look at the IR [integrated resort] partner selection procedure as a whole rather than only the RFP start date,” said the person. “With respect to present global circumstances we will not be starting the RFP submission procedure this spring.”

The official added: “Under the current national timeline, we project to start the RFP procedure within the next couple of months, and we will continue to be flexible in our decisions especially during this time of stress for the global market and community.”

Nagasaki, which is representing the whole of the Kyushu region in the casino race, would like to put such a resort on a circa 31-hectare (76.6-acre) site at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park (pictured in a file photo) in Sasebo city, which is part of Nagasaki prefecture.

Local governments wishing to host an integrated resort will need to apply to the central authorities for the right to have one. A maximum of three such facilities will be permitted Japan in a first phase of liberalisation.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, which has affected Japan as well as neighbouring countries, is making normal business travel to and around Japan; along with events such as public meetings, more complicated to arrange than before.

The official from Nagasaki’s prefecture said the local government was planning to “progress with the selection of the best partner for Kyushu and Nagasaki, with transparency and in accordance with the submission schedule for the IR implementation plan that is set by the central government.”

The national government last week extended across the whole country a state of emergency in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The central government – which has yet to issue the finalised version of its own IR basic policy – has stated in its draft document that it will accept IR applications from local governments between January 2021 and July of that year. The timeline was confirmed by a central government official last week.

Other regions in Japan have already announced the postponement of their preparation timetable to host a casino scheme, including Osaka and Yokohama.