The debate on the bill to legalise casinos in Japan has once again been delayed.
Opposition party legislator Yosuke Kondo, one of the two leaders of the lower house committee handling the casino bill, has introduced a set of demands that the Liberal Democratic Party must meet before he will allow negotiations to begin.
Among his demands is a requirement for the chief cabinet secretary and other key officials to be available for debate on the bill. This means the earliest the bill will be taken up is next Wednesday, just four days before the end of the legislative session.
It had been expected that debate on the bill to legalise casinos would begin this month, with a possible vote coming in a special session this autumn. If that bill passes, a second bill laying out the details and procedures of the casino industry would have to pass next year.
