Nagasaki is a department that reduces and renams IR topics

Japan's Nagasaki Prefecture (pictured) said at a meeting of the prefectural council's general affairs committee on Wednesday that it will "reduce" and rename the department responsible for the topic of integrated resorts (IR) this year.

The department was dealing with large cities' attempts to attract tourist resorts along with casinos.

In late December, Japan's tourism agency under Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport cited concerns over financing, saying Nagasaki's IR proposal "did not meet the necessary standards" set in Japan's basic IR policy.

Now the name known as Nagasaki's "IR PR department" will be changed to "IR office," and the change will take effect in fiscal 2024, according to the meeting's progress information reviewed by GGRAsia's Japan correspondent.

The announcement noted that the IR office would have fewer employees than the IR PR department banner, but gave no details.

Public broadcaster NHK separately reported that the newly named office "will be responsible for coordinating with the [state] government to facilitate disclosure of information about past initiatives."

At the end of last month, Nagasaki Prefecture's governor, Oishi Gengo, said he had taken the view that it would be "nearly impossible" to reconsider Japan's central authorities' decision not to approve the agitation plan submitted in April 2022 on the advice of a "law expert."

The Nagasaki Islands fundraising mentioned an amount of 438.3 billion yen (currently $2.95 billion).

The project was to take place at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo City, part of the prefecture.

Nagasaki Prefecture said the project's "financial preparation" targets include Credit Suisse AG, CBRE and Canter Fitzgerald Securities Japan Inc.

When the decision was made against Nagasaki's proposal in December 2023, the tourism agency held a press conference to note that the prefecture would be able to submit a new plan for the next application period if it wanted to. 홀짝게임

However, the tourism agency stressed that it has nothing to say with certainty about the timing of the new application period, and that it can only decide by order of the national cabinet based on everything the tourism agency can suggest.

So far, only Osaka has been approved for IR hosting in Japan, while casino operator MGM Resorts International is also in Osaka under the prefecture's plan, which it submitted in April 2022. Osaka and Nagasaki are the only two to submit IR proposals to the Japanese government.

In early September, Osaka authorities noted that MGM Osaka would be "Autumn 2030" as early as before it opens.