Sasebo Pushes for Japan Casino Resort Revival After 2023 Rejection

Kyle Kevin

iGaming Writer

Fact Checked

Sasebo wants back into Japan’s casino race. Its 2023 bid failed. Now the business chamber is pushing the mayor to try again before the May 2027 application window opens.

Sasebo’s business chamber wants the city back in Japan’s integrated resort race. On Monday, the Sasebo Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented a written request to Mayor Daisuke Miyajima calling for a revived IR push. Chamber chairman Takuya Kaneko said the city should leverage knowledge from its failed 2023 bid. “Our stance on IR remains unchanged,” he stated. “We should try having an IR to revitalise the city and the northern part of the prefecture.” The mayor responded cautiously but positively. He said the “know-how and insights” from the 2023 non-approval were significant. He added that the city should consider not only the Huis Ten Bosch theme park site but also other locations. However, there is a catch. Sasebo cannot apply directly. Only prefectures or ordinance-designated cities hold that right. Nagasaki Prefecture would need to sponsor any Sasebo bid. The timing is tight. Japan’s next IR application window opens May 6, 2027, and closes November 5, 2027. Only two licences remain available nationwide. MGM Osaka, the sole approved project, is under construction for a 2030 opening. Sasebo is not the only Nagasaki city eyeing those two slots. Omura City, to the southeast, has already formed a feasibility study group. Nagasaki Governor Ken Hirata has offered to share expertise from the prefecture’s failed first-round bid. The race inside the prefecture is now as real as the national one.

Sasebo Business Chamber Pushes for IR Revival

The Sasebo Chamber of Commerce and Industry made its move on Monday. It submitted a formal written request to Mayor Miyajima urging the city to restart IR preparations. Takuya Kaneko, the chamber’s chairman, framed the appeal around experience. “The knowledge and experience accumulated from the IR efforts in the past are invaluable,” he said. “We have major advantages against other areas.” Those advantages include a prior application, established relationships with potential operators, and a defined site at Huis Ten Bosch. The chamber also stressed localisation. Kaneko said Sasebo should pursue “an IR which is suited to our area,” suggesting a tailored proposal rather than a generic resort template. Mayor Miyajima received the request and signalled openness. He called the insights from the 2023 non-approval “quite significant.” He said the city should monitor developments at the national and prefectural levels while weighing a renewed initiative. Crucially, he broadened the location scope beyond Huis Ten Bosch. “Regarding the location, we should consider not only inside the Huis Ten Bosch but also other places in the city,” he stated. That flexibility could matter. The original Huis Ten Bosch site faced criticism over its 31-hectare footprint and the theme park’s existing commercial obligations. A fresh location might sidestep some of those concerns. However, Sasebo lacks direct application authority. Under Japan’s IR Implementation Act, only prefectures and ordinance-designated cities can submit district development plans to the national government. Sasebo is neither. It would need Nagasaki Prefecture to act as the applicant, with Sasebo as the host municipality. That dependency adds a political layer. Nagasaki Prefecture’s own 2023 bid failed. Its governor has since pivoted toward supporting Omura City. Sasebo’s chamber is essentially asking the prefecture to reconsider its allegiance.

Why the 2023 Bid Failed

Nagasaki Prefecture submitted its IR plan in April 2022. The proposal envisioned a JPY438.3 billion resort on a 31-hectare segment of the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo. The target opening was 2027. The plan projected 8.4 million annual visitors and roughly JPY270 billion in revenue. The consortium partner was Kyushu Resorts Japan, led by Casinos Austria. The funding structure relied on 60% debt financing from financial institutions. Credit Suisse was a key backer. Then Credit Suisse collapsed. UBS acquired the Swiss bank in March 2023. The investor lineup changed significantly. Documents guaranteeing investments or financing were not sufficiently prepared, according to the ministry’s screening committee. The committee also found that investors lacked sufficient records of operating integrated resorts. Measures against gambling addiction and illegal activities were deemed inadequate. On December 27, 2023, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism rejected the bid. Osaka’s plan, submitted simultaneously, won approval. Nagasaki was left with nothing but sunk costs and political bruising. The rejection was a blow to Sasebo specifically. The city had pinned economic revitalisation hopes on the project. Northern Nagasaki Prefecture has struggled with depopulation and industrial decline. An IR promised jobs, tourism revenue, and international exposure. Instead, Sasebo got a lesson in regulatory risk. The chamber’s new request explicitly references that lesson. Kaneko called the accumulated knowledge “invaluable.” Miyajima called the insights “quite significant.” Both are framing failure as preparation. Whether national regulators will see it that way is another question. AGBrief covers Japan’s IR licensing process and regional developments.

Omura City Enters the Race

Sasebo is not alone in Nagasaki Prefecture. Omura City, located to the southeast, has its own IR ambitions. In May 2026, the Omura Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced plans to develop an IR concept. It aims to submit recommendations to the city and prefecture by year-end. The Omura Bay Green IR Feasibility Study Promotion Council is scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting on September 2, 2026. Mayor Hiroshi Sonoda will serve as an advisor. Nagasaki Governor Ken Hirata has publicly supported the Omura effort. He confirmed that conversations are taking place within Omura’s business community. He said the prefecture would share knowledge from its previous IR application and its government and industry contacts. “First, Omura City and the local business community need to discuss whether they want an IR and understand the significance of having one,” Hirata stated. The governor’s stance creates a delicate dynamic. Nagasaki Prefecture can realistically sponsor only one IR bid. Choosing between Sasebo and Omura means alienating one city’s business community. Sasebo has the prior application experience. Omura has the governor’s current backing. The Omura study group will also examine regulatory hurdles. One issue on its agenda is seeking to “rationalise certain rules” under the national IR framework, particularly around the size requirements for core facilities. Japan’s IR legislation mandates specific minimums for hotel rooms, convention space and exhibition halls. Those requirements can inflate project costs and limit site flexibility. Omura’s group wants to see if those rules can be relaxed for its proposal. The competition between the two Nagasaki cities mirrors broader national jostling. Hokkaido Prefecture is preparing a bid with Hard Rock International as its likely partner. Aichi Prefecture, near Nagoya, has allocated roughly $1.75 million for an IR-linked tourism feasibility study. Wakayama withdrew after its 2022 financing failure. Tokyo Bay and other locations have been discussed but not formalised.

The 2027 Application Window

Japan’s Cabinet approved the next IR application round on March 10, 2026. The Japan Tourism Agency published a draft Cabinet order setting the window from May 6, 2027, to November 5, 2027. The order took effect on March 13, 2026. The six-month window gives local governments and their private-sector partners time to prepare district development plans. Those plans must demonstrate financial strength, operational capability and a clear contribution to regional economic growth. The government has consistently stressed that only proposals with strong governance and sustainable funding will advance. Japan’s IR legislation allows up to three casino-integrated resorts nationwide. MGM Osaka holds the sole approved licence. That leaves two slots for the 2027 round. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has publicly backed IR development. In October 2025, she instructed the transport minister to “promote the development of IRs and realise attractive stay-type tourism which is highly competitive in the international market.” Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Shigeki Murata echoed that framing. “The development and promotion of IRs will contribute to the promotion of stay-based tourism,” he said. “This is an important measure toward realizing a tourism-oriented nation.” For Sasebo, the window represents a second chance. For Omura, it is a first opportunity. For Nagasaki Prefecture, it is a political puzzle. The prefecture must decide which city to back, or whether to back either at all. Its 2023 failure still looms. National regulators will scrutinise any Nagasaki return bid with extra care. The funding question that killed the first attempt will be the first question asked in the second. Sasebo’s chamber believes it has the answers. Omura’s study group is still looking for them. The clock is ticking toward May 2027.

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This article has been thoroughly researched and reviewed by the CasinoBait editorial team to ensure accuracy and relevance for Asian casino players.