Japan enters September 2026 with two opposing signals on the future of its integrated resorts: Yokohama is once again turning opposition to casinos into an election issue, while Osaka is accelerating the development of Yumeshima around MGM Osaka, the only IR approved so far by the national government.
In Yokohama, former lawmaker Kazuma Nakatani announced his independent candidacy for mayor on September 12 and pledged to promote a formal local restriction on casinos if he wins the extraordinary election on October 18, 2026. Nakatani, backed by the Kanagawa organization of the Constitutional Democratic Party, wants to prevent future IR projects from moving forward without municipal control. The official campaign will begin on October 4. The election was called after Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka resigned on August 28.
Takeharu Yamanaka
Yokohama had already abandoned an integrated resort project at Yamashita Pier following the 2021 election, despite previous interest from groups such as Genting Singapore and Melco Resorts & Entertainment.
Nobuki Watanabe
At the same time, Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture have put a 420,062.03-square-meter site on Yumeshima up for sale next to the future MGM Osaka, with a minimum price of JPY92.113 billion (about US$595 million). Proposals will be accepted from January 12 to 15, 2027, with the financial evaluation scheduled for February 17.
Osaka’s pro-IR leaders strengthen mandate as MGM Osaka’s scale comes into sharper view
The site forms part of Yumeshima’s second development phase and must be used for entertainment, retail, exhibitions and international tourism.
Hidetake Takahashi
MGM Osaka, being developed by MGM Resorts International and ORIX Corporation, represents an investment of approximately JPY1.51 trillion (US$9.6 billion), with opening targeted for 2030, more than 23,000 square meters of casino space, around 470 gaming tables, 6,400 electronic gaming machines and roughly 2,500 hotel rooms. The company is chaired by Nobuki Watanabe, with Edward Bowers serving as President. Its board includes Bill Hornbuckle, CEO of MGM Resorts, and Hidetake Takahashi, President and CEO of ORIX.
The ambiguity is structural: Japan will open a new national IR application window from May 6 to November 5, 2027, while cities such as Yokohama seek to close themselves politically to casinos and Osaka turns its IR into a real estate and tourism engine.
