Hokkaido has advanced its plans for a potential integrated resort (IR), proposing changes to its policy framework that would ask Japan’s national government to ease existing size requirements for MICE and accommodation facilities.
Hokkaido Prefecture is pressing Tokyo to loosen minimum size rules for MICE and hotel facilities under a draft integrated resort policy released September 7, a move that could alter the scale of casino projects proposed outside Japan’s major metropolitan centers.
The proposal calls on the national government to relax facility thresholds set under Japan’s IR Act. Hokkaido’s draft frames a resort-style property built around the prefecture’s seasonal climate and natural surroundings, positioned to function as a gateway that channels visitors to other destinations across the region while linking tourism and business activity among the Asia-Pacific market, North America and Europe.
Any adjustment to national size requirements would arrive before Hokkaido completes its own internal process, which the draft sets out in stages. The prefecture would first identify a candidate site and draft a basic concept, then decide separately whether to advance an implementation policy, select an operator and submit an area development plan.
Each stage carries its own conditions, and the prefecture said it plans to consult stakeholders and pursue public outreach throughout. No candidate site has been named, and the document does not confirm whether Hokkaido will enter Japan’s next IR application window, scheduled to run from May 6 to November 5, 2027.
Industry responses give the request context
Hokkaido’s push for eased requirements follows questionnaires sent to prospective operators and domestic firms. Two of three unnamed overseas IR operators surveyed expressed interest in a Hokkaido project, and all three identified competitive advantages tied to the location.
Among 13 domestic IR-related companies surveyed, 12 indicated interest in the prefecture. The responses give the prefecture data points to support its case for revised thresholds, though the draft itself does not attribute the size-requirement request to specific operator feedback.
Of Hokkaido’s 179 municipalities, only Tomakomai has expressed interest in hosting a resort under the current facility requirements. Hakodate indicated partial interest but has not settled on a position, citing uncertainty over whether the existing size thresholds fit the city, a split that illustrates why the prefecture is seeking flexibility at the national level before committing further.
The draft also addresses measures aimed at gambling addiction, money laundering, crime and other potential social consequences tied to casino resort development, consistent with requirements under Japan’s national IR framework.