Japan appoints Toshiyuki Shimada as Casino Regulatory Commission secretary general

Japan has appointed Toshiyuki Shimada as the new Secretary General of the Casino Regulatory Commission, the government confirmed. As the country steps up its oversight of both land-based and online gambling, Shimada will assume the role on July 1, succeeding Takuya Sakaguchi, who has held the position since July 2023.

Shimada currently serves as Deputy Secretary General of the commission and previously worked at the Ministry of Finance. His promotion comes amid a wave of regulatory activity and policy commitments tied to Japan’s casino sector.

Established in January 2020, the Casino Regulatory Commission comprises five members who are nominated by the parliament, known as the Diet, and typically serve five-year terms. Since January, the commission has been chaired by Takafumi Sato, the former superintendent prosecutor at the Takamatsu High Public Prosecutors Office.

Recent appointees also include Junichi Kakimizu, a former head of the National Tax College. Other current members are Michiko Watari, a psychiatrist; Hirofumi Kitamura, a former director of the National Police Agency’s Traffic Bureau; and Keiko Ishikawa, a professor of economics at Nihon University.

Japan’s cabinet has proposed a budget of JPY 3.71 billion ($25.6 million) for the commission this year. Earlier this month, the cabinet reaffirmed the country's casino resort development policy as a “top-level guiding principle” for the FY2026 budget, describing it as a measure to “promote sustainable tourism.”

To date, only one integrated resort (IR) project — the JPY 1.27 trillion ($8.7 billion) MGM Osaka on Yumeshima Island — has been approved by national authorities. Promoted by MGM Resorts International and Japan’s Orix Corp, the project is slated to open in 2030. Japan’s legal framework allows for up to three IR licenses.

Shimada’s appointment also comes as Japan intensifies its crackdown on illegal online gambling. In May, the government reported that unauthorized online casino bets had reached JPY 1 trillion. Since then, the House of Representatives passed a new bill aimed at reducing gambling-related harm, followed last week by another law targeting addiction, indebtedness, and anti-money laundering risks linked to illegal gaming.

The Casino Regulatory Commission is tasked with overseeing both IR projects and online gambling activity. Shimada’s elevation to Secretary General is expected to play a central role in guiding the regulatory direction of Japan’s evolving gambling landscape.