Aichi Prefecture says it has received private-sector participation submissions for its proposed integrated resort (IR) on Chubu Centrair International Airport island.
The announcement on October 7 moves the project into the next phase of a competitive proposal process for the Tokoname site.
The submissions were made by the 30 September deadline. Aichi began seeking concrete proposals on April 1 to test whether an IR could be developed around the airport.
The prefecture has given no indication that an operator has been selected or that the project has received final approval.
Aichi is withholding both the names and the number of participating companies, citing the need to preserve a fair competitive environment. The scale of private-sector interest therefore remains undisclosed, even as the announcement confirms that the process has attracted a response.
The latest timetable allows competitive dialogue with applicants until around the winter of fiscal 2026. Detailed proposal examination documents are due by 23 March 2027. Those materials will form part of the evaluation before the prefecture selects a candidate operator.
Aichi's March implementation policy identifies an approximately 50-hectare site in Centrair districts four and five, beside Chubu Centrair International Airport and Aichi Sky Expo. The land may be leased or sold to a future operator.
The policy envisages a 35-year operating period and places project costs and commercial risks with the operator.
The proposed development is intended to make international meetings, exhibitions and events a centerpiece of tourism growth. The policy calls for conference and exhibition space, accommodation, entertainment and visitor facilities, as well as a casino. It caps the casino gaming area at 3% of the IR's total floor space.
An evaluation committee is expected to advise on the selection of a candidate operator. Aichi would then prepare an area development plan with that candidate. Consent from Tokoname City and the prefectural public safety commission, a vote in the prefectural assembly and national certification would follow before any implementation agreement and land transfer.
The March policy also sets out measures on gambling-related harm, security and anti-money laundering. It proposes prevention education, consultation and medical support alongside security arrangements.
The confirmed private-sector participation begins a longer approval and design process whose final participants and outcome remain undisclosed.
In March 2026, Japan was preparing a May to November 2027 application window for two additional integrated resorts, following Cabinet approval of legal revisions. Aichi's local selection would precede any submission under that national process.
The existing Aichi Sky Expo has approximately 60,000 square metres of exhibition space
