Twelve governors support the idea of legalizing casinos to attract tourists to their prefectures and create new jobs, while 15 are opposed to such a move, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
The poll covered all of Japan's 47 governors, but only 27 indicated clear-cut support or opposition.
Ten governors, including Tokyo's Shintaro Ishihara, Nagano's Yasuo Tanaka, Kochi's Daijiro Hashimoto, Miyazaki's Suketaka Matsukata and Shizuoka's Yoshinobu Ishikawa, backed the idea unconditionally.
The governors of Aichi and Ishikawa prefectures expressed conditional support.
There are currently no moves in the Diet to legalize casinos, but some prefectures are mustering support for such a step and are organizing campaigns to get potential operators interested.
In March, the Miyazaki prefectural assembly adopted a petition submitted by a tourism industry organization calling for the legalization of casinos. Private organizations, meanwhile, are trying to invite casinos to Shizuoka Prefecture.
But 15 governors from prefectures including Hokkaido, Saitama and Fukuoka opposed legalization, saying casinos do not suit their emphasis of boosting tourism through cultural assets and simply stimulate gambling passions. Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine refrained from answering due to split opinion on the issue within the prefecture.
The governors of Osaka, Hiroshima and Miyazaki said their governments will work on inviting casinos if they are legalized. Five governors said their governments would support the move if private companies or municipalities back casino construction.
Twenty governors, including some who support the legalization of casinos, said their governments do not intend to invite casino construction.
The Tokyo metropolitan government included in a draft plan to boost tourism compiled in August a scheme to promote facilities such as casinos. Okinawa is considering budgeting in the next fiscal year to conduct a survey on inviting casinos.