As a Liberal Democratic Party team tasked with recommending policies for casino resorts met this week, leaders in Osaka and Yokohama displayed opposite reactions to the prospect of hosting such facilities.
On Wednesday, an LDP group began discussing a blueprint for the construction and operation of integrated resort (IR) facilities with casinos. The group is also taking up concerns about problem gamblers.
"The team was formed to discuss specific details on how IRs will be run as well as to come up with policies for dealing with concerns about an increase in gambling addicts," LDP Policy Research Council chair Toshimitsu Motegi said at Wednesday's meeting.