After recently receiving a provisional license for its planned $500 million integrated casino resort in the Philippines, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited has now reportedly reiterated its interest in bringing a similar development to Japan.

According to a report from The Japan Times newspaper, the Hong Kong-listed firm established a Tokyo office in January of 2015 while its employees have since been travelling the nation to meet with federal and local officials as well as community and business organizations about the possibility of entering a newly-regulated Japanese casino market.

Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited is responsible for the giant Galaxy Macau, StarWorld Macau and Broadway Casino properties in Macau and reportedly hopes that the expected passage later this year of the casino-legalizing Integrated Resort Implementation Bill will see it granted permission to bring a comparable development to an as yet unnamed Japanese city.

Jeremy Walker, Marketing and International Development Vice-President for Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, reportedly told The Japan Times that his firm would like ‘to be in Japan first’ but stopped short of mentioning specific candidate cities such as Osaka, Tokyo or Tomakomai.

If Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited was to be granted a Japanese casino license, Walker reportedly stated that his firm would seek to ‘create something that is unique’ to the nation for the purposes of promoting ‘the very best of Japan’ including its culture, beverages, food and traditional ‘omotenashi’ hospitality.

Finally, Walker reportedly told The Japan Times that Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited is currently evaluating Tokyo-based Hotel Okura Company Limited as a potential partner as the hotel operator could prove ‘very helpful’ in its efforts to bring an integrated casino resort development to Japan.

“We want to partner with [Hotel Okura Company Limited] in Japan,” Walker reportedly told the newspaper. “We hope we can work on a project together but it will depend on the location.”