Yokohama Set to Skip Japan’s 2027 Casino Licensing Window

Yokohama is virtually certain to sit out Japan’s 2027 application window for two remaining integrated resort (IR) licenses, as none of the seven candidates in the city’s upcoming mayoral election support backing a casino project.

Yokohama is Japan’s second-most populous city behind Tokyo. Located roughly 20 miles south of the capital, the city is widely viewed as key to the success of Japan’s second integrated resort (IR) bidding round, particularly in attracting major global gaming operators such as Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Genting, and Melco Resorts.

At this juncture, however, the odds appear slim that Yokohama will enter the running. Seven candidates are vying to become the next mayor of Yokohama—including former Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka, who resigned in September following a workplace scandal but is mounting a campaign to reclaim the office—and none support bringing an IR to the city.

Alongside Yamanaka, the candidate field includes civic group leader Sachiko Fujikawa, 51; former lawmaker Kazuma Nakatani, 43; attorney Atsumi Harasawa, 59; corporate executive Atsushi Fukuyama, 37; architect Riken Yamamoto, 81; and Yuka Asaka, 46, deputy leader of the Japanese Communist Party’s Kanagawa prefectural branch.

Candidates Oppose IR

The seven candidates running for Yokohama mayor have voiced opposition to an IR.

Nakatani is perhaps the most outspoken adversary of gambling, making the IR issue one of his six campaign “zeros.” Nakatani is pledging support for zero costs for childbirth, zero childcare fees for families starting with a second child, zero school lunch costs, zero costs for elderly care, zero harassment in the workplace, and a Yokohama with “zero casinos.”

Fujikawa previously participated in anti-IR campaigning and maintains her firm opposition to a casino. Yamamoto has also rejected an IR, with the renowned architect proposing a rival vision for Yamashita Pier that features machiya, or traditional Japanese wooden townhouses. Harasawa is also on record stating he will not embrace an IR.

Fukuyama and Asaka have stated that an IR does not align with their broader policy platforms. Meanwhile, Yamanaka was directly responsible for pulling Yokohama’s initial IR candidacy upon taking office in 2021.

Yokohama’s special election is scheduled for Oct. 18.

MGM Monopoly

Japan authorized up to three IR destinations in 2018. To date, only one license has been granted, with MGM Resorts a co-developer of MGM Osaka, a JPY1.51 trillion (US$9.5 billion) venture on Yumeshima Island.

With Yokohama likely on the sidelines, it’s unclear if additional gaming companies will participate in Japan’s second IR bidding window. Currently, only Bally’s Corporation and Galaxy Entertainment Group have expressed interest.

The bidding window is slated to start in May 2027 and run through November.