Ōtō mayor asks Fukuoka to file formal IR bid before 2027 round

The mayor of Ōtō, Joji Nagahara, on Tuesday submitted a formal request to Fukuoka Prefecture asking it to begin preparations and file an IR District Development Plan with the national government during the application window from 6 May to 5 November 2027, warning that if the prefecture does not apply “the opportunity will be lost forever.” The petition also asks the prefectural assembly to make a decision at its ordinary session in December.

Formal request and timetable

Nagahara delivered the petition on Tuesday and asked Fukuoka authorities to begin preparations “immediately” for submitting the plan to the national government. The mayor said Ōtō’s initiative is intended to stem depopulation and enable independent regeneration of the Tagawa area.

"Our request was driven by the desire to stop depopulation and allow the Tagawa region to achieve autonomous redevelopment. The ball is now in the prefecture’s court," Joji Nagahara said after handing over the petition.

Nagahara stressed that under Japan’s liberalisation programme only two IR slots remain nationwide and warned that if other prefectures submit plans before Fukuoka, “the opportunity will be lost forever.”

Comments from Fukuoka’s governor

Fukuoka Governor Seitaro Hattori said the same day in his press conference that meeting the 2027 application window would be "quite tight." Hattori explained that “preparing and submitting an IR District Development Plan to the government requires completing all necessary procedures, including a fair process to select an IR developer,” and that local governments which have advanced — citing Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City — took “a significant amount of time” to prepare and submit their plans. He added that the prefecture must ensure a fair developer-selection process as part of that work and listen to stakeholders in the process ([regulation](/regulation)).

"It is difficult to advance a project of this scale and with such significant social impact without establishing the consent of the prefecture’s residents," Hattori said, adding that the prefecture must diligently hear the voices of local people.

Hattori also noted that while a successful IR could bring “substantial economic benefits,” it would also cause “social harm, including gambling addiction,” so positive and negative effects must be evaluated with extreme care. The governor warned the impact would not be confined to the host municipality but would “spread across the Kyushu region,” and said the prefecture must carefully assess the suitability of any proposed site.

National context and other stakeholders

To date the only approved IR scheme under development is MGM Osaka, budgeted at JPY1.51 trillion (US$9.54 billion at present). In this second application round several prefectures, including Aichi and Hokkaido, have said publicly they could take steps to submit bids, although none has made a firm commitment so far. Nagahara based his petition on the need for Fukuoka to decide during the prefectural assembly’s ordinary session scheduled for December.