According to Inside Asian Gaming, Japan’s Casino Management Committee will be chaired by former Defense Director Michio Kitamura.

Joining him as candidates are Hiroyuki Kane, a former regional taxation head, psychiatrist Michiko Watanabe, university professor Noriko Endo and former police director Kenji Higuchi.

Approval for the appointments is hoped to be achieved by 9 December, before Japan publishes its "basic policy" by 20 July 2020.

Recently, US operators such as Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts expressed a desire to remain financially prudent in Japan, avoiding an initial over-committing of resources.

Wynn CEO Matt Maddox said: "We are going to pursue Japan with vigour but we will not pursue it if it does not make financial sense.

"I still believe this is going to be a longer process than a lot of people are anticipating.

"We’re going to be very disciplined in terms of how any structure is put together, what the costs are going to be and what the return profile is going to be."