The ruling Liberal Democratic Party resumed on Wednesday Lower House committee deliberations on a long-stalled bill to legalize casinos, with key LDP executives saying the party will try to enact the controversial legislation by Dec. 14.
Liberal Democratic Party Diet affairs chief Wataru Takeshita reportedly told junior coalition partner Komeito that the LDP wants to have the bill pass through the committee Friday and voted on during a plenary session of the chamber on Dec. 6.
Many Komeito members had in the past been reluctant to enact the legislation amid public concern over the possibility of increased gambling addiction and crimes traditionally linked to casinos, including money-laundering.