Mitsui Tokyo project points to casino plan

[TOKYO] Mitsui Fudosan Co, Japan's largest property developer, is seeking approval for an entertainment complex and resort in Tokyo with construction firm Kajima and Fuji Media Holdings, a government website shows. The companies have applied to set up an entertainment complex in Tokyo's Odaiba area, according to the website of the country's cabinet secretariat.

They have teamed up for a possible casino resort, Reuters reported on Nov 8. Tokyo's selection to host the 2020 Olympics has boosted speculation the government will open up the market to casinos, and companies including Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts have said they plan to invest in Japan.

A lawmakers' group plans to submit a bill to parliament as soon as this year to legalise casinos in Asia's second-largest economy, where gambling such as pachinko and betting on horse, boat and bicycle races is allowed.

Mitsui has put in a plan for a commercial area that includes a hotel, convention centres and shopping area, according to Mitsutoshi Tenda, a company spokesman, who declined to say if it included a proposal for a casino. A Kajima spokesman, who asked not to be named, said the company had submitted a plan to develop the Odaiba area. The Nippon Foundation, a non-profit organisation, was also named as part of the group on the government website. It said via e-mail that it was part of the proposal, while declining to say if the plan include casinos. - Bloomberg