politics

Lawmakers in tsunami-hit region eye casino to hasten recovery

23 Comments
By Ritsuko Ando

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“We’re talking about a business that is based on people’s misfortune,” he said. “Is it right to position something like that as a pillar of growth?” No other comment necessary.

5 ( +5 / -1 )

Please disclose radiation level before going forward with this plan.

Please be realistic, we have not forgotten Fukushima and Sendai. Are you crazy?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

A Casino? That's their plan A? Build something purposely designed to suck money from people. Great visionary.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

We don't any one armed bandits scattered around Sendai.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is already a large amount of investment and construction throughout Sendai; rural Miyagi would be right to resent yet further expansion of the city, let alone with a tacky tourist trap like a Casino. We do not need to become Atlantic City.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

"don't need any"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Miyagi, with a population of 2.3 million, is in dire need of more investment and jobs

Despite being an assemblyman, Mr Konno has no idea what he is talking about: there are more job offers than job seekers in Miyagi at the moment. The economy is doing quite well, in part due to all the rebuilding going on.

They talk about "luring in workers" and "improving the economy", but a casino won't do either. Casinos do not produce anything and do not create wealth. Apart from drawing unwanted gamblers in from elsewhere a casino has nothing to offer the area.

We could do without more urban sprawl near the airport too. Much of that area has already been turned from fields into an ugly collection of eyesores in recent years.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is a great idea. They can attract people already down on their luck and help push them over the edge.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The Casino plan will work if locals have to pay a hefty entrance fee to discourage them gambling. Also, allow family members to add someone to a banned list. Have programs to encourage tourists especially from China, South Korea to come and utilize the facilities of the integrated resort and hopefully lose some money at the casino.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Stupid idea.

1) Locals that gamble are by and large lower-income/retired/shouldn't really be gambling in the first place to be honest

2) If you're looking to attract people with money into the area, there you have to compete with other nearby countries which already have established gambling areas. (eg. Thailand).

3) Only 1 casino? or 1 resort? Again, with how expensive anything entertainment is in Japan, any hope of attracting a large customer base will require a large area, with several casinos and top-end restaurants/facilities. That is a HUGE investment. Anyone else remember the theme park boom 20 odd years ago? Yeah that's what I forecast.

4) I believe it will be a hard sell to get international tourists to willingly go to an overpriced place that was very recently the site of a near meltdown when there are so many other options.

Also, @m6bob: that's sarcasm..right? It's hard enough for a conbini to keep tabs on specific individuals, let alone a multi-building resort with 10s to 100s of staff.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Make the casinos nonsmoking at least.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Really a disgusting plan all around...the fact that the politicians have been keeping it secret because they know how much the people they are supposed to represent hate it just speaks volumes about their character.

This is just another way in which the response to 3-11 is just further destroying the Tohoku region. The plan to build a 400km concrete wall across the entire region - much of it protecting abandoned land with virtually no value - is the showpiece of the incompetence, but pushing for a casino seems like they are just trying to pile social misery upon social misery.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

recent years.

warispeaceOct. 26, 2014 - 11:26AM JST

This is a great idea. They can attract people already down on their luck and help push them over the edge.

.Many American tourists still fear radiation in Tohoku. ]Your government has been suppressing true radiation levels to public.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

No coincidence that the construction companies, with their close ties to the Yaks, also operate here. So, we've got government, construction & a possible casino - all connected to the Yaks. GGGRRREEEAAATTT...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Japan needs to start thinking long-term and let go if ridiculous ideas like this. It feel like the old geezers in power (74-year old assemblyman?! Come on...) want to feel good about themselves befir they drop off, one by one. Forget that.

Casinos will be like beehive for organized crime, especially in Japan where no real will to deal with this pest seem to exist. They will of course drain the Tohoku region and use all their connections to uglify even more of Japan.

Japan should start embracing its beautiful nature, creating sustainable living, farming and seeking tourists who would like to see some real, untouched nature. That would benefit the region and the country in the long term. Neon and concrete seems very 1960's, when Japan was still on it's way up. Those days are long gone.

-3 ( +2 / -6 )

Poor guys. They have no idea what the whole casino deal is about: making more money for those who already have money. It is politics, after all. There is absolutely no way that Tohoku (or Okinawa or any other region) can compete with Kanto or Kansai. You'd have a better chance playing slots.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Maybe the troubled citizens in that area could be given priority to machines that pay off so that they do not lose any more than what they have lost already.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

IIf Miyagi official wants Casino,, 1. make strong travel bureau that invite Northeastern Chinese people, especially wealthy industrialists who are regular customeres of Macao. 2. Forget about casinos that are on headline, They are not interested in other place than Odaiba Tokyo, 3. :earn how Nevada make mpmey without State Income Tax or State corporaton Tax. Learn huge gaming tax it collect to finance any state project. Other states invited Japan Inc but NV never interested in inviting industries as induxtries do not add State coffs. 4. Find wealthy cxasino system that has been trying to invest in Vietnam Steal them to Miyagi. But first learn what is casino,

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The law makers are encouraging blood sucker Casino operators to suck every cent from poor victims of tsunami. I'm capitalist and I don't believe in socialism with corrupted bureaucrats and Government. Socialism is good but the peoples who running Socialism are bad peoples. So Socialism got bad name. Same in Capitalism, if peoples who are running Capitalism are corrupted in every corner and then Capitalism will be bad as much as Socialism and Communism.

Pro-Casino Law makers and PM Abe must think about why Las Vegas Sands and Malco- Crown Casino operators are serious about to open Japanese’s Theater. They are mouthwatering untouched Japanese hard earn wealth. Recently, Australian Crown Casino’s boss James Packer said high roller punters are hurting Crown Casino income. The Casino operators are coming to Japan for distribute their wealth but they are coming to take away the wealth (Money) of Japanese peoples and to destroy moral principle of Japanese peoples.

I’m congratulation Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai for his resisting to Casino in his prefecture. I might suggest Law makers who support Casino in their electorate should go to visit Las Vegas or Macau and play some games for a week. After that, they should think about whether Casino will help local peoples or not but they must be honest.

I have no doubt about Casino will bring some local Government’s revenue but in fact Casino will suck every drop of blood from local peoples. I want to say, local peoples will be first victim of Casino.

To PM Abe and Pro-Casino Law makers, we don’t want to hear in future “if we knew Casino will hurt Japanese society and then we don’t bring it to Japan”

Please, translate this comment to PM Abe and Pro-Casino Law makers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

-What are the odds of anything gong wrong at a nucleaf power facility?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@konjo4uOCT. 26, 2014 - 10:59PM JST -What are the odds of anything gong wrong at a nucleaf power facility?

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Hope Japanese people who want to gamble restudy Probability Theory and Statitic Ana;ysis when Casinos are legalized.

Back to topic you mentioned, Miyagi getting Casinos 0.% . -

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The law makers are encouraging blood sucker Casino operators to suck every cent from poor victims of tsunami. I'm capitalist and I don't believe in socialism with corrupted bureaucrats and Government. Socialism is good but the peoples who running Socialism are bad peoples. So Socialism got bad name. Same in Capitalism, if peoples who are running Capitalism are corrupted in every corner and then Capitalism will be bad as much as Socialism and Communism.

Pro-Casino Law makers and PM Abe must think about why Las Vegas Sands and Malco- Crown Casino operators are serious about to open Japanese’s Theater. They are mouthwatering untouched Japanese hard earn wealth. Recently, Australian Crown Casino’s boss James Packer said high roller punters are hurting Crown Casino income. The Casino operators are coming not to Japan for distribute their wealth but they are Comingto take away the wealth (Money) of Japanese peoples and to destroy moral principle of Japanese peoples.

I’m congratulation Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai for his resisting to Casino in his prefecture. I might suggest Law makers who support Casino in their electorate should go to visit Las Vegas or Macau and play some games for a week. After that, they should think about whether Casino will help local peoples or not but they must be honest.

I have no doubt about Casino will bring some local Government’s revenue but in fact Casino will suck every drop of blood from local peoples. I want to say, local peoples will be first victim of Casino.

To PM Abe and Pro-Casino Law makers, we don’t want to hear in future “if we knew Casino will hurt Japanese society and then we don’t bring it to Japan”

Please, translate this comment to PM Abe and Pro-Casino Law makers.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Because this article is Sendai hoping casino, I misunderstood konjo;s question. This is Sendai in Miyagi, not Kyushu Sendai. My 0 is % Sendai in Miyagi gets Casino 0. Several reasons beside it did not invite any casino systm etc

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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