Japan's cabinet decided on March 10, 2026 to amend the cabinet order that sets the application period under Article 9, paragraph 10 of the Act on Development of Specified Integrated Resort Districts, opening a fresh window for prefectures and designated cities to apply to host an integrated resort (IR)1. The amended order is scheduled for promulgation and enforcement on Friday, March 13, 20261.
Under the IR development law, a prefecture or government-designated city must prepare and submit an area development plan jointly with a private operator, and the plan must be certified by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism1. A maximum of three area development plans can be certified, and only one, the Osaka Yumeshima district, has been certified so far1. The application period is set by cabinet order under Article 9, paragraph 10 of the law1.
"公布・施行：令和８年３月13日（金）"
The announcement was made by the Japan Tourism Agency, part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism1.
What it means for players
Japan's casino regulation sits under the gambling laws in Asia framework, and the practical effect of this amendment is procedural: it restarts the clock for local governments that want to bid for an IR. No new casino has been approved, and no operator has been named. The only certified plan remains Osaka's Yumeshima district1. For locals, expats and visitors in Japan, the rules on what gambling is currently legal are unchanged by this decision; the Japan gambling guide covers the existing position. Any new IR would only become a place to gamble after a plan is submitted, certified and built, and none of those steps has happened for a second site.
What happens next
The amended cabinet order is due to be promulgated and enforced on March 13, 20261. Whether any prefecture or designated city submits a plan during that window has not been reported.
