Executive reshuffle at Orix amid the construction of Japan’s first legal casino

Apr 27 (News On Japan) - Japanese financial services group Orix Corp has announced a slate of senior leadership changes.

The company is a partner of U.S. casino operator MGM Resorts International in developing the MGM Osaka integrated resort (IR), which will host Japan’s first legal casino in the country’s history. The decisions on executive appointments were disclosed on Friday, and the key reshuffle takes effect on April 1.

Satoru Matsuzaki’s new role

Satoru Matsuzaki has been appointed chief operating officer (COO) of the company’s business unit covering Japan and the Asia-Pacific region (Japan and Asia-Pacific). The appointment is effective April 1. He will also retain his role as deputy president executive officer (Deputy President and Executive Officer) and will remain on Orix’s board of directors.

This combination of roles appears logical given the scale of operational challenges facing the corporation in the region, particularly those tied to the Osaka integrated resort project.

Masataka Yamada takes on finance and strategy

Masataka Yamada has been promoted to the positions of chief financial officer and chief strategy officer (CFO and CSO). In his new role, he is responsible for the company’s corporate strategy and management unit (corporate strategy and management unit). In effect, this consolidates two critical functions under a single senior executive, which may signal Orix’s effort to align financial planning with strategic development at a stage when the corporation is engaged in one of the country’s largest investment projects.

Takahashi remains at the helm

Hidetake Takahashi’s position as president and chief executive remains unchanged. He also continues to hold a seat on the company’s board of directors. Keeping Takahashi in the post underscores continuity in Orix’s overall leadership approach, while the reshuffle affects the corporation’s operational, financial, and strategic levels.

What we know about the MGM Osaka project

The MGM Osaka integrated resort became the only project to clear the first round of selection, during which local governments in Japan submitted bids for the right to host an IR. The partnership between Orix and MGM Resorts International involves creating a complex that includes the country’s first legal casino. Here are the project’s key parameters:

The estimated cost is JPY 1.51 trillion, equivalent to approximately $9.45 billion.

The resort is scheduled to open by late 2030.

The project is being implemented in Osaka and remains the only project selected in the first round of the government selection process.

For Japan, MGM Osaka represents not merely a hotel or entertainment facility, but something of a regulatory experiment in the gaming industry. The scale of investment and the partnership with one of the world’s largest casino operators make this project one of the most closely watched in the Asian hospitality and entertainment sector.

High hopes for overseas tourists amid the rise of the iGaming industry

As is well known, online casinos have significantly changed the rules of the game in the gambling entertainment market. iGaming is highly popular almost everywhere—from the U.S. to Asia. Growth is especially strong in developing countries, as penetration among local populations remains low for this kind of entertainment. We found confirmation of this across many niche websites from different regions of the world—ranging from statistics in Laos or Colombia to Ghana Online Sports Betting Sites, which, according to the data, are growing in number. As for developed countries, people there have long been used to playing online.

Nevertheless, the project’s authors are confident that despite intense pressure from the iGaming industry, land-based casinos still have strong potential. Especially when it comes to tourism. After all, while a local resident is likely to forgo visiting a land-based casino in favor of iGaming, a tourist is more likely to work a visit to such places into their itinerary. That is why the creators of MGM Osaka make no secret of the fact that they are counting to a significant extent on overseas customers. Whether these expectations will be met—time will tell.

Fire Destroys Historic Arima Inari Shrine

A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.

Japan Ranks Last Among OECD Countries in Sleep

Japan, which records the shortest average sleep duration among OECD countries, is launching new efforts to tackle widespread sleep deprivation, including the opening of specialized sleep disorder departments and programs aimed at improving children's sleep habits through sports and physical activity.

Japan National Team Holds First Training Session in Nashville

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

Sakurajima Eruption Blankets Kagoshima in Volcanic Ash

A prolonged eruption at Sakurajima on June 7th blanketed parts of Kagoshima City in volcanic ash, turning roads gray and prompting long lines of vehicles seeking car washes after a plume of smoke rose 1,300 meters above the crater.

Japan Lifts Tsunami Advisories After Philippines Quake

A powerful earthquake struck off Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines at 8:38 a.m. (Japan time) on June 8th, generating tsunami waves across parts of the Pacific, causing building collapses and casualties near the epicenter, and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami advisories along a wide stretch of Japan's Pacific coastline before lifting all of them at 4:50 p.m.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Business NEWS

Bank of Japan Poised to Raise Rates to 1.0% as Inflation Risks Mount

The Bank of Japan is increasingly expected to raise its policy interest rate to 1.0% at next week's monetary policy meeting, responding to growing concerns that inflation could rise faster than previously anticipated due to soaring oil prices and other cost pressures.

Japan's Restaurants Struggle Under Inflation and Labor Shortages

The number of restaurant bankruptcies in Japan reached a record high for the January–May period, highlighting mounting pressures from rising costs, labor shortages, and increasingly cautious consumer spending.

Inside Casio’s Secret Project to Revive Its Manufacturing Spirit

Casio Computer, the company behind some of Japan’s most iconic consumer electronics including calculators, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and the G-SHOCK watch, is pursuing a new strategy aimed at reviving its tradition of product innovation.

Nippon Steel to Invest 400 Billion Yen in U.S. Steel Plant Expansion

Nippon Steel plans to invest up to $2.5 billion, or approximately 400 billion yen, over the next three years in the Mon Valley Works steel complex in Pennsylvania, one of the key facilities operated by U.S. Steel, the American steelmaker it acquired in 2025.

Japan Revises Q1 GDP Growth Down to 1.8% on Weak Capital Investment

Japan's economy grew at an annualized rate of 1.8% in the January–March quarter of 2026, according to revised gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the Cabinet Office, with the figure marked down from the preliminary estimate due largely to weaker-than-expected capital investment.

Tokyo Stocks Suffer Fifth-Largest Drop as Tech Sell-Off Deepens

Japanese stocks suffered a sharp sell-off on June 8th as weakness in U.S. technology shares and growing concerns over higher global interest rates triggered widespread selling, sending the Nikkei Stock Average down 2,563.52 points, or about 3.8%, to close at 64,024.60.

Japan's Current Account Surplus Rises 64.9% in April on Strong Exports

Japan's current account surplus expanded 64.9% from a year earlier to 3.9078 trillion yen in April, marking the 15th consecutive month of positive balance, according to balance of payments data released by the Finance Ministry on June 8th.

Former BOJ Governor Kuroda Says Wages Are Outpacing Prices

Rapid inflation and the weakening yen continue to squeeze household budgets across Japan, prompting renewed debate over the country's economic policies. Former Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, who spearheaded the central bank's aggressive monetary easing campaign under Abenomics, argues that the overall economy remains on a positive trajectory and that wage growth is now exceeding inflation.

< 2 3 4 5 >