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Hokkaido governor inspects Singapore casinos

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"Inspects"???? and if Japan allows casinos it will very quickly surpass Macau. and we won't see pictures of pachinko parlours anymore.

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What's there to inspect ? Just Start Playing, Good Luck (!)

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What I think they mean by inspecting is to do it right. If it is done the "Japanese way" It will be all ramen, omurice, sausages on a stick outlets without a consideration that non Japanese might want to go there.

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As she is an expert in economic policies (unlike other politicians), she might have snooped Singapore casino operations (very different than Vegas, Macau or other countries. and its restriction system on residents. Russia has been itchy to make casino mecca in Siberia I;d bet she will outdo. Hokkaido climate is not like Singapore but it sure is better than Siberia, She will be able to stop Russian Casino plan and get northern Chinese billionaires and multi millionaires spend their money to Hokkaido casinos if Japan legalize casinos. She had to inspect Singapore residents restriction methods. (To avoid Japanese stray in table game areas) For warm area, Okinawa is in Japan, For big cities, Tokyo Osaka and many others but in order to crush Russian movement, she sounds right person. Female Governor works good. After all, Las Vegas mayor in USA is also a female Mayor. S Korea already trying bigger casino operations and head of that country is female, too. After Macau, maybe but we Nevadan rumor that if entire Japan is compared to Macau or Vegas, Japan will be No 1. So, once upon a time the top gambling city in the world now changed to claim as No 1 city of entertainment in the world. Hokkaido has onsens, too. This winter, casino legalization will be in agenda. How it will be no one knows but she seems to be preparing for legalization ahead of Tokyo and Osaka.

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If casinos legalised in Japan i don't think they will introduce a system limiting residents from playing (like singapore).

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No thanks. We already have more than enough mob crime here.

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"Visits" casinos would be a better translation. Presumably the original Japanese was 視察.

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Japan (and especially Hokkaido) is NOT Singapore. The Singapore casinos are in resort areas, good weather year round, other activities right at hand, beaches, shopping etc. Singapore is not a good model to assess the merits of casinos in Japan with the exception of maybe Okinawa.

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techall is right. In Singapore, resident has to pay 51 pounds one time visit or a yearly fee of 1022 pound. However, why she chose Singapore, only reason I can think is that it collects money from Singapore citizen that generated 14.7 million pounds. As for casino legalization movement, yakuza groups are opposing vigorousely in Japan. They have many legal and illegal operations but the main business they have traditionally is gambling. Yakuza and bakuchiuchi(gamblers) mean same in Japan for generations. In Oicho Kabu gambling, August (ya), September (ku), March (za) flower cards combo, you lose. Amyway, when casinos are legalized, their wealthy customers will change their coming to yakuzas' underground gambling houses they figured. They are the top opposers in casino legalization. But Singapore is one of candidates in Japan. Whether many billion dollars investing casino proposers will choose Hokkaido is another story. Mitsui, Sands, MGM, Wynn, all have eyes in Odaiba in Tokyo but never heard going to Hokkaido. Well, Las Vegas based investers are used to have strip tease shows in all year around and don't know what it is like to operate their business in snowyy place. That is another main reason they went to Macau, etc and not interested of Russian invitation. Notice she did not go to Sands operated casino in Singapore. I don;t think Vegas based Casinos will like Singapore style collecting money from residents. Their business is not just table games that locals do not play. Restaurants, theaters, shopping centers and all you can eat buffets plus many different business. Hokkaido is candidate to crush Russian casino plans that expect Northern wealthy Chinese, just like Japan want them. Notice she did not go to Sands operated casino-hotel in Singapore.

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Sentosa also has clean sandy beaches, which are great for a swim and to lounge with a good book and fresh tropical fruit. There are also trails through dense secondary rainforest.

If casinos in Japan mean Obaida and other drab Japanese zones are cleaned up to the extent swimming and other outdoor activities can be done freely, and if lots and lots of trees and other thick vegetation are planted, then I'm all for it.

However, I'm not holding my breath. I envision the typical Japanese landscape of acres of concrete, constant noise from speakers and the ever-present smell of cigarette smoke.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Inspects? Oh, come on, now! Surely you mean, "Has a good time"?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

She is good with numbers. She needs to know why only Sands Bay but any other casinos from Vegas is not there. Anyone can figure. Each casinos have to employ extra people to check people who come to casino to enter. As Singapore is in China, many employees at Each entrance. For 3 shifts for 365 days. Then casinos pay gaming taxminus- extra expenses. Thus govt receipts from Casinos decrease when Singapore type residents casino entry taxing are applied. She can inspect casinos in cold cold States in USA but never inspect hot hot Nevada where 20 seconds raining is reported a rain storms when it happens.

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I think it is disheartening to see a country like Japan having to resolve to gambling and tourism to make ends meet. Japan is a strong industrial nation that has flourished with its technology, design and so on. Gambling and tourism are the cop out of countries that cannot achieve success through other means. Singapore does not have a specialized work force or a strong business sector. So all they can do is attract tourists with gambling and a number of other 'amusement park-like' attractions, like the Universal Studios, orchid gardens, night safari and all sorts of Disneyland-style things. Japan turning to these sort of cheap efforts to boost the economy is like an engineer turning to 'songs and dances' to turn a quick buck. It's humiliating for the country. My point is that external influences to Japan, from the US, TPP, Las Vegas establishments, and so on seem all mired at opening Japan's market to American corporatins and making it another globalized country. And I use this term in a negative form. In the sense that it will look and feel exactly like every other country in the world: Mac Donald, gambling, open immigration with no regard for consequences to social harmony, free market where local farmers are bankrupt by cheap imports from 3rd world countries (TPP), destruction of the Japanese middle class, few billionaires and everyone else a slave to the rat race. What I struggle to understand is whether this is just a play by the J.gov to sound pleasing to the US or they are really set into making Japan another run-of-the-mill globalized boring, Facebook-country. Even more jarring is to see Japanese or Japan foreign residents agreeing to this process of identity obliteration. Oh well, my hope is to not be around when that happens.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Because of the article title, I wrote about Singapore casinos but I think she went to see how Genting Group invested business in Singapore doing. It is not just casinos, It is a multiple business operations. Casino business is just one of their operations in Asia, UK and USA etc. As Singapore belongs to China and Hokkaido belongs to Japan, maybe Genting might plan a business for Hokkaido similar to its Miami based shipline to Europe? Or rehabilitate business that went red? It sure did to a large eyesore business in Vegas and creating an Asian themed business,

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Yeah keep building more gambling venues why don't you and make rich people richer... Gambling industry boosting the economy is a FLAT-OUT LIE manufactured by the industry... ultimately it's designed take money away from peoples hand and not having money to spend it's going to drive the economy into worst deflationary problems.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@tokyodoumoAUG. 23, 2014 - 03:29AM JST Yeah keep building more gambling venues why don't you and make rich people richer... Gambling industry boosting the economy is a FLAT-OUT LIE manufactured by the industry... ultimately it's designed take money away from peoples hand and not having money to spend it's going to drive the economy into worst deflationary problems

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I wouldn't worry wealthy people who have been using Yaruza's illegal gambling arenas for years who will change from there to casinos. Yakuzas do not pay gambling tax but casinos will have to pay gambling tax They are already addicted anyway..

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Can you say boondoggle?

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This is my guess, Japanese people who love casinos in Japan could be wives of wealthy Japanese men, Now, they can follow their husbands to casinos to check what their husbands do in the evenings/ Yakuza places, they can't get in. So, they did not know if their hubbies are fooling with young mistresses or gambling.

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@toshiko

As Singapore belongs to China and Hokkaido belongs to Japan

Singapore has nothing to do with China. It's never been part of China.

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@joji Narroway: Thank you for cxorrecting me. We get Visa for China and go to Singapore so I thought Singapore is in Chinese territory. I needed differeht visa for Vietnam but only needed Chinese visa for Singapore and Beijing from USA last year. That is why I thought Singapore belongs to China,

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techallAug. 20, 2014 - 06:22PM JST

Japan (and especially Hokkaido) is NOT Singapore. The Singapore casinos are in resort areas, good weather year round, other activities right at hand, beaches, shopping etc. Singapore is not a good model to assess the merits of casinos in Japan with the exception of maybe Okinawa.

Hokkaido Gov Harumi Takahashi already knows, and it is a great vacation for him paid by taxpayers. Winter weather is just a big trouble for casino business.

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