Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe toured Singapore's two lavish casino resorts on Friday as his country considers allowing casino gambling to boost tourism and attract investment.
Abe, in the city-state to deliver a speech at a regional defence and security conference, spent 40 minutes visiting Marina Bay Sands, the three pronged waterfront resort built by U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands, and then headed over to Resorts World on Sentosa island, owned by Genting Singapore.
Japan, home to 128 million people and the world's third-largest economy, is widely seen as a prize market for casino operators due to its affluent population and close proximity to wealthy Asian gamblers in the region.
Abe, who has so far remained silent on the issue of casinos, was taken round Marina Bay Sands by its chief executive, George Tanasijevich, touring its convention centre and taken to a viewing area to look down on its gaming floor.