Ado Machida has been tapped to become the president of Hard Rock Japan. The choice is a fitting one as Machida has a long track record of serving large corporations as a lobbyist and is also a Republican Party activist. He has political ties to Tokyo and can be a strong supporter of Hard Rock’s efforts to win one of the expected three integrated resort (IR) licenses to be awarded by Japan.

Machida has served as the Chief Domestic Policy Officer for former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, and was also the Director of Policy Implementation for current president Donald Trump as he was transitioning to take the throne. Machida has also served time as a lobbyist for the U.S. defense industry.

According to Edward Tracy, Hard Rock Asia CEO, “With Machida’s Japanese fluency, his understanding of the Japanese culture and legal knowledge, along with his passion and experience in building bilateral business partnerships that focus on sustainable success, Ado has the leadership skill set that brings a key component to our team.”

Hard Rock isn’t the first casino operator to bank on political heavyweights to back their IR efforts in Japan. MGM hired Jason Hyland, a former U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires, to be its president as it lobbies for a license and Caesars recruited two high-profile politicians—former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense Richard Armitage and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle—to lead its efforts.