Kazuo Okada planning to retire in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Kazuo Okada, the embattled Japanese casino mogul, is planning to retire in the Philippines despite his ongoing problems with his former companies including the one behind Okada Manila.

In a statement issued over the weekend, Okada said he is determined to retire in the Philippines, which he believes he can do so as a holder of an investor’s or retiree’s visa.

Okada said it has always been his dream to do business in the Philippines and eventually retire here.

He said he was impressed with Filipino workers, saying they are highly skilled and proficient in the English language.

Thus, in 2010, he decided to invest in the Philippines even if the trend back then was for investors to move to China.

 “I was thinking about moving forward and developing something with local partners in the Philippines in 2010,” Okada said in an interview with Inside Asian Gaming.