Hard Rock International has long hoped to win an integrated resort (IR) licence in Japan. Its chance is coming. On Wednesday, the Japan Tourism Agency confirmed it will open a fresh round of bidding, lasting six months from May to November 2027.
Two licences up for grabs
In 2018, the Diet passed legislation authorising up to three IRs across Japan. Then Covid-19 hit, and global giants like Wynn, Las Vegas Sands, Genting and Melco passed on the opportunity.
Ultimately only two contenders, Osaka and Nagasaki prefectures and their gaming partners, MGM Resorts International and Casinos Austria, officially applied to host IRs. And in 2023, just one was approved. MGM Osaka, an $8.9 billion joint venture of the US gaming company and local partner Orix Corp, broke ground in April and is on track to open in 2030.
Hopes for a fresh bidding process ignited in December 2024, when the government approved the appointment of new gaming commissioners.
Second chance for Hard Rock, Hokkaido
Hokkaido earlier considered bidding, with Hard Rock the proposed partner. The plan hit a speed bump when rare and endangered bird habitats were discovered in the chosen destination: Uenae, Tomakomai, near Chitose International Airport. With little time to assess the environmental impact, Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki declined to support a bid.
He has since changed his tune. “Circumstances are changing,” the governor said in August. “We view IR as a potential project that could contribute to Hokkaido’s development by attracting private investment and boosting tourism-related spending.”
The cities of Kushiro and Hakodate in Hokkaido have also expressed interest in hosting an IR. Hard Rock’s proposal would transform the chosen landscape, adding a guitar-shaped hotel, a Four Seasons Resort, a Hard Rock Live venue, retail and dining facilities and a casino.
The entertainment giant is already a familiar name in Japan, with six Hard Rock Cafes in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka and Kyoto.
Nagasaki Prefecture is also a likely bidder for one of the available IR licences.
Marjorie Preston
Marjorie began her gaming career in 2007 and has focused on Asian gaming markets since 2020. Outside of work, she writes about travel and film and plays the drums.
US gaming giant Hard Rock International is expected to apply for an integrated resort licence in Japan in 2027 when the bidding reopens.