Hokkaido as pulled out from the stiff race to host one integrated resort out of Japan’s first 3 IRs, thus becoming the first region to do so.

The island, the greatest prefecture in Japan, is situated only 20 minutes’ drive away from the New Chitose Airport and was an appropriate site for an integrated resort.

However, the 38-year-old Governor Naomichi Suzuki, who is the youngest prefecture leader in Japan, vetoed the notion on the 29th of November, stating how there wasn’t ample time to deal with environmental issues before submitting the bid.

While speaking to the Hokkaido Prefectural Assembly, he stated that even though he savored the challenge of bidding for an integrated resort, he has concluded, after a lot of thought, that it isn’t possible to acknowledge the environmental threats before submitting a bid.

According to the Kyodo News agency, Suzuki said: “An integrated resort in Hokkaido, which would coexist with nature, has big potential, but I thought it would be impossible for us to give due consideration to the environment in the limited period of time before the government selects the locations.”

Environmental activists have displayed their worries over how the construction will damage the region’s beautiful eco-system, including a wildlife sanctuary situated close to Lake Utonai. An evaluation of the environmental impact is predicted to take as long as 3 years.

Suzuki said: “I judged it impossible to give appropriate consideration toward the natural environment in a limited amount of time. When the time is right, we’ll make preparations to bid.”

Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, believes that the integrated resorts are vital to the economic and tourism advancements in spite of worries regarding addiction to gambling.