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Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is mulling plans to legalize casinos in a bid to attract more foreign tourists to the country, a news report said Sunday.
Quoting unidentified lawmakers, Kyodo News agency said the LDP would encourage lifting Japan's ban on gambling parlors, following in the footsteps of Singapore, which last year reversed its decades-old ban on casinos.
Casinos could attract many tourists and help to boost the economy, a lawmaker on an LDP subcommittee on gambling was quoted by Kyodo as saying.
The subcommittee plans to produce an interim report in April that will outline possible legal changes and what gambling houses should be like if they are legalized, Kyodo said.
The LDP was not available for comment Sunday.
About 5.2 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2003, according to latest government statistics. Tokyo has said it wants to boost that number to 10 million by 2010.
Quoting unidentified lawmakers, Kyodo News agency said the LDP would encourage lifting Japan's ban on gambling parlors, following in the footsteps of Singapore, which last year reversed its decades-old ban on casinos.
Casinos could attract many tourists and help to boost the economy, a lawmaker on an LDP subcommittee on gambling was quoted by Kyodo as saying.
The subcommittee plans to produce an interim report in April that will outline possible legal changes and what gambling houses should be like if they are legalized, Kyodo said.
The LDP was not available for comment Sunday.
About 5.2 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2003, according to latest government statistics. Tokyo has said it wants to boost that number to 10 million by 2010.