Each week, here at Osaka.com, we bring you a selection of some of the top stories about Osaka making the local and national news here in Japan. Sometimes it’s serious, sometimes it’s funny, but it’s always direct to you, from Osaka.
Casino Resort Construction Begins
The Osaka International Expo may only be a few weeks into its 6-month run, but already plans for the legacy of the site beyond the Expo are underway. Construction officially began this week, near the current expo site, of a new casino resort.
The resort, scheduled to open in 2030, has been the source of much controversy. Japan officially legalized casinos in 2018, but such as been the legal red tape, the Osaka resort is the only one currently in development.
Organizers expressed concerns that the construction of the new resort may disrupt the ongoing expo. To remedy this, the construction firms overseeing the resort project pledged not to use any heavy machinery until October.
Instead, from now until October 13th, when the Expo closes, work on the casino resort site will be mostly preparatory.
Local Opposition to Casino Resort Remains
Despite the plan already being approved years ago, many residents in Osaka remain against the casino resort plan.
Chief amongst their concerns are the twin worries of over-tourism and problem gambling.
Many point to Macao and the hugely negative impact that the territory has felt since embracing casino resorts.
Often called “The Vegas of Asia”, Macao actually sees more than 10 times the daily total cash flow of Las Vegas. Such is the spending power of its, predominantly Chinese, clientele.
This has also led to an increase in associated vices such as prostitution, drugs and fraud.
Of course, like any major city, Osaka already has issues with all of the above, but residents are worried about reaching a tipping point.
Affluent Chinese tourists are already viewed in a negative light by many residents in both Osaka and Kyoto. The worry is that adding gambling on top of all the other issues will just make things worse.
Even some Chinese residents of Osaka are opposed to the project. I spoke to one such individual earlier this week. She wished to remain anonymous, but said that she is often embarrassed by the behavior of a minority of visitors from her homeland.
She said: “Every time a Chinese tourist comes to Osaka and does something offensive; it makes my life just that little more difficult than it already is. We are all Chinese, and the actions of one affects us all.”
On the casino project, she added: “I’ve seen first hand what problem gambling can do. I’ve seen family members lose their entire month’s salary in a day.
“Gambling is like a drug, and Japan doesn’t tolerate drugs, so I don’t know why they’re tolerating this.”
Shinkansen Delayed By Snake
An especially bizarre set of circumstances led to widespread disruption to shinkansen bullet train services in and out of Shin Osaka on Wednesday. Services were disrupted for a little over 90 minutes.
The delays came about thanks to a power outage on the line between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara Stations.
The cause of this outage? A snake, of all things!
Yes, the unfortunate reptile got caught up in the overhead power lines, causing a short circuit. Sadly, the poor animal didn’t survive the ordeal. However, the Shinkansen was back to normal by 7.30pm on Wednesday, after the initial problems began at 5.25pm.
The incident is the latest in a series of minor troubles to hit the shinkansen in recent times. Commuters hope this will press the government to speed up the planned upgrades to the ageing service. However, the next generation Maglev trains will not enter service until 2030 at the earliest.
And Finally…
We’ve read plenty of headlines in the global press recently about an impending financial crisis. However, many people in Osaka Prefecture this week faced more immediate and direct financial turmoil.
A systemwide failure at Mitsui-Sumitomo Bank, left customers unable to use their cash cards at many of the bank’s branches in Osaka and Hyogo Prefectures. A total of 50 branches of the nationwide bank were affected across the neighboring prefectures.
The outage began at 1.20am on Tuesday morning. The bank has put in place alternative arrangements for customers to get access to their cash. Mitsui Sumitomo representatives contacted affected customers and instructed them where to go to access funds in the meantime.
The bank has a major overhaul of its systems planned for this weekend, during the Golden Week Holidays, however a Mitsui Sumitomo spokesperson was at pains to emphasize the two incidents are unconnected.
Although Japan is slowly transitioning to a less cash-dependent society, many citizens, particularly the elderly, still rely on cash for their day to day needs. This incident reminds us all of the importance of keeping some money aside for such situations.
That’s all for now but be sure to check back again same time next week for another round of this week in Osaka!
