Skip to contentThe Asahi Shimbun>National Report>REUTERSThe planned venue of the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo extends from left to the foreground on Yumeshima island, seen here in the foreground of this photo taken from an Asahi Television Broadcasting Corp. (Nobuhiro Shirai) Japan on Friday approved a plan to build the country’s first casino in the western city of Osaka, paving the way for a large resort aimed at attracting domestic and international tourist spending. Japan’s casino plans have faced a number of obstacles such as the coronavirus pandemic and a bribery scandal