MGM Osaka Corp, the operator of the under-construction integrated resort (IR) with casino in Japan’s Osaka prefecture, has announced a change in its senior leadership.
The company said Nobuki Watanabe, a managing executive officer at Orix Corp, has been appointed representative director and chairman of MGM Osaka Corp, effective from May 1. He replaces Toyonori Takahashi, who has stepped down from the role and will serve as an advisor to Orix.
Mr Watanabe joined Orix in 2001 and has been involved in new business development and corporate management functions.
Following the transition of MGM Osaka Corp to a company with a board of directors, Edward Bowers has been reappointed as representative director and president, with effect from May 1, per the recent announcement.
MGM Osaka Corp is a joint venture between MGM Resorts International and Orix Corp, alongside other minority local investors. It is responsible for the development of the the JPY1.51-trillion (US$9.66-billion currently) MGM Osaka casino complex (pictured in a rendering).
The Sankei Shimbun newspaper said MGM Osaka Corp now has a five-strong board. The other three directors are: Bill Hornbuckle, chief executive and president of MGM Resorts; Hidetake Takahashi, CEO and director of Orix; and Shuuji Irie, senior managing executive officer at Orix.
Speaking late last month on a conference call to discuss MGM Resorts’ first-quarter results, Mr Hornbuckle said “over 40 percent of the foundation piles have been installed or completed” at the MGM Osaka site.
“The first concrete floor has been poured, and the first structural steel has been erected,” he noted. “MGM Osaka remains on time and on budget for 2030 opening.”
The CEO added: “I recently visited and approved our markup rooms, which I found exceptional, and we are opportunistic as ever, keeping in mind we expect to be the sole licence and operator in Japan upon opening.”
A national-level cabinet order confirmed on March 10 that the application period for a second round of IR bids will run from May 2027 to November 2027.
