Like a bottomless swamp…! Shocking photo of the ground at the planned casino construction site in Osaka.

Just taking a step forward, my boots were sucked into the ground up to my ankles. It was like a bottomless swamp. It is obvious at a glance that the ground is so loose that not even a stake can be driven into it. It is absolutely impossible to build a casino or hotel here.

Yumeshima, Osaka, is the planned site of an integrated resort (IR) that Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City are trying to attract to the area. Yumeshima is an artificial island created by landfill, and problems of liquefaction, soil contamination, and ground subsidence have long been pointed out.

The photo at the beginning of this report is a picture of the planned construction site obtained by this magazine from a person involved in the construction. The ochre-colored soil mixed with grass and branches resembles a swamp. Osaka Prefecture and Osaka City are proceeding with the construction of the plot with the aim of opening the IR in the fall or winter of 2029. Excavators, excavating cranes, and other heavy machinery are in operation at the site.

The workers at the site said, “We knew there were some problems with the ground and soil, but we didn’t realize how soft it was. It is rare to find such a difficult site. Osaka City had insisted that no public funds would be used for the casino construction costs, but decided to invest approximately 79 billion yen for soil contamination countermeasures and liquefaction measures. However, having actually seen the site with my own eyes, my impression is that 79 billion yen is not going to be enough.

The planned construction site is off-limits to all but related parties, making it a black box of internal information. Moreover, the 79 billion yen the city plans to spend does not include “measures to prevent ground subsidence.

According to the Osaka City Port and Harbor Bureau’s document explaining the status of the land development project (Osaka Port Reclamation Project), the area in question has been reclaimed with dredged earth and soil and construction debris. The Osaka IR Basic Concept states, “The land is reclaimed with dredged soil, which is mainly composed of cohesive soil, and the ground is liquefaction-resistant. Dredged sediments are reprocessed sediments from the bottom of oceans and rivers, and although research is underway to find a stronger and safer way to recycle them, concerns about liquefaction cannot be dispelled.

In the first place, the attraction of IRs themselves has not been successful. In January of this year, a local residents’ audit was requested regarding the lease of 490,000 square meters (49 hectares) of land to an operator for the low monthly rent of 428 yen per square meter.

The approval for the Osaka IR project was not finalized by the end of 2010, and The Japan Innovation Party leader Baba Nobuyuki’s prediction that “good news [approval] will arrive before the opening of the ordinary Diet session [in January 2011]” also fell short.

A person involved in Osaka IR said.

Many Osaka City officials are of the opinion that it is unreasonable to build an IR on that land,” said a person involved in the Osaka IR industry. However, Mayor Ichiro Matsui will not listen to them, and has ordered them to estimate the additional cost to prevent land subsidence. However. The situation on the ground is so bad that I can’t even play the soroban.”

We inquired at the Osaka Prefectural Government’s IR Promotion Bureau about the current situation.

We asked the IR Promotion Bureau about the current situation.

We have not yet decided on the specific measures to be taken, as they will be decided after the IR is approved.

Is there any possibility of incurring costs for subsidence countermeasures?

We are aware of the risk of ground subsidence due to the nature of Yumeshima. If this were to occur, the operator (Osaka IR Co., Ltd.) would take appropriate measures. The cost will be borne by the operator and not by Osaka Prefecture or the city.

–What is currently being done in Yumeshima?

We are currently working on infrastructure development, including the Osaka Expo to be held in 2013, and construction of the IR will not begin until approval is granted.

I hope further problems don’t erupt. ……