Japan reshuffles Casino Regulatory Commission with new chair members

Rajashree Seal December 19, 2024

SiGMA news

Japan’s parliament, the Diet, has approved three appointments to the Japan Casino Regulatory Commission. The decision, made on December 17, includes two new members and one reappointment.

Takafumi Sato, currently the superintendent prosecutor of the Takamatsu High Public Prosecutors Office, will take over as the commission’s chair on January 7, 2025. He replaces Michio Kitamura, the outgoing chair and former superintendent prosecutor at the Fukuoka High Public Prosecutors Office.

Junichi Kakimizu, a former head of the National Tax College under the National Tax Agency, has also been appointed to the commission. Psychiatrist Michiko Watari, who has served on the commission since its creation in 2020, has been reappointed for another five-year term.

Members stepping down

Two members will step down in January 2025. Along with Kitamura, Hiroyuki Ujikane, a former head of the Nagoya Regional Taxation Bureau, will complete his term. Both joined the commission when it was formed in 2020.

Two members remain partway through their terms. Hirofumi Kitamura, a former director at the National Police Agency’s Traffic Bureau, and Keiko Ishikawa, an economics professor at Nihon University, both joined the commission in January 2023.

Casino regulatory framework

The Japan Casino Regulatory Commission was established in 2020 after the government approved legislation allowing three integrated resort (IR) licences. With around 150 staff, the commission oversees integrity, compliance, licensing, and enforcement for casino-related activities.

MGM Osaka: Japan’s first casino

Japan’s first and only approved casino resort, MGM Osaka, is scheduled to open in late 2030. The project on Yumeshima Island is backed by MGM Resorts International and Orix.

Nagasaki’s casino aspirations

Nagasaki prefecture, previously overlooked as a casino host, confirmed in late November that it had received a questionnaire from the Japan Tourism Agency about integrated resort policies. However, no announcement has been made regarding the next application round for IR licences.

Learning from international practices

Earlier this month, three members of the Japan Casino Regulatory Commission met with New South Wales Independent Casino Commission (NICC) officials in Australia. They toured Crown Sydney’s members-only facility and discussed regulatory frameworks.

Philip Crawford, chief commissioner of the NICC, said that Japan has an advantage in learning from existing international systems. “Japan is in the midst of setting up their regulatory structure, so the functions are in place well in advance of the casino opening,” Crawford said.

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