The ruling bloc rammed a divisive casino legalization bill through an Upper House committee Tuesday evening, opening the door to its likely passage on Wednesday, the last scheduled day of the current Diet session.
An eleventh-hour war of words between the ruling and opposition blocs broke out as the ongoing extraordinary Diet session was set to wrap up Wednesday after a two-week extension.
Advocates of the bill, including Abe, support what they call the establishment of integrated resorts (IR), including casinos, restaurants, shopping malls and theme parks, as a much-needed boost to Japan's economy and tourism industry.