Japan Considers Legalizing Casinos
It may come as a surprise, but there are still many countries in the
developed, capitalist world which do not have any legalized gambling
facilities. In fact, the ultra-capitalist country of Japan has never had
legal casinos. This may all change in June this year, though, as the
Liberal Democratic Party that constitutes Japan’s current government is
expected to formulate a basic policy which will legalize casinos in the
nation. The legislation is in an effort to attract more tourists from
abroad, according to Japanese lawmakers.
A member of a subcommittee on casinos, which was launched under the
Liberal Democratic Party’s special committee on tourism, said the party
should hasten the discussions. This theory is based on the fact that
Singapore has already lifted its ban on gaming facilities last April,
and Thailand is considering doing the same.
The recommendation is not necessarily favored by the Japanese public,
however. Objections have arisen due to concerns about public order in
communities which include such facilities, and there is worry about the
possibly detrimental effects legal casinos would have upon Japanese
young people. The subcommittee member maintains, however, that casinos
have attracted many tourists in countries that have legalized them, and
that the rise in tourist traffic helped boost the economy of the
countries involved and was favorable to international competition.
The subcommittee plans to discuss the constitution of gaming houses and
what to do with the penal code stipulations that ban casinos before
working out an interim report in April. Through the subcommittee, the
party plans to listen to opinions of local government officials,
academics, and business leaders. The subcommittee will also be
discussing the possibility of legalizing gaming operations with the
National Police Agency, the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry, and
the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry.
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