Japan’s tourism authorities have found that the Osaka-Yumeshima integrated resort (IR) is progressing under its approved development plan, while calling for more measurable targets and continued work on safeguards before opening.
In their assessment of fiscal 2025, officials said detailed designs had been completed and construction had begun across the resort facilities. They also noted progress on investment by core shareholders and work addressing soil liquefaction.
The project continued to meet the requirements of its certified plan despite changes since approval.
The assessment asks Osaka’s authorities and the operator to report progress against objective indicators and analyse factors affecting delivery. It also calls for more precise demand forecasts, including the expected business-visitor market, and concrete plans to attract international visitors.
If initial investment changes, officials said the design should continue to reflect the conditions attached to the project’s approval.
On gambling safeguards, the report notes work under Osaka Prefecture’s addiction-prevention plan, including surveys, preparations for an addiction centre and awareness campaigns concerning illegal online gambling. It urges Osaka and the IR operator to demonstrate how their measures will reduce the proportion of people showing signs of gambling harm.
Officials also want future casino revenue to support sustained investment in non-gaming facilities.
In a separate Japanese gambling case, the parliamentary Judge Impeachment Court has scheduled a 28 October hearing for Akifumi Morimoto, a Niigata Summary Court judge convicted of habitual online casino gambling and embezzlement.
He received a three-year prison sentence suspended for four years in July 2026. The hearing will determine whether he should be removed from office.
Osaka remains Japan’s only nationally certified IR project. Elsewhere, Aichi Prefecture has received private-sector submissions for a proposed resort near Chubu Centrair International Airport, while Oito is seeking Fukuoka Prefecture’s backing for its proposal.
Japan’s assessment calls on the Osaka IR to attract visitors from a broad range of countries rather than rely heavily on any one market
