Japan Lottery
Japan lottery games can trace their history way back to the 1630’s but the modern Japan lottery games began in October 1945 when the national Japanese Government started selling lottery tickets under the name Takarakuji (宝くじ) which means “fortune lottery” or “treasure lottery”.
Local Japanese Governments were then permitted to run Takarakuji lotteries in 1946 and in 1954 they administered Japanese lotteries exclusively when the Japanese National Government relinquished control of Japanese lottery games.
All Japan Lottery games are fully approved by the Minister of Home Affairs along with the local assembly and the actual operation of the lottery itself is handed over to a bank. Various banks have operated Japanese lottery games since 1945 with the Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank more recently being the major player.
Generally, Japanese lotteries are comprised of traditional or conventional style lottery games, with lottery tickets either having pre-printed numbers on them or lottery tickets where players are able to choose their own lottery numbers.
The biggest lottery in Japan and, indeed, the whole of Asia is the Japan Jumbo Draw and we are going to take a more detailed look at that here…
Japan Lottery - Jumbo Draw - Overview
The Japan Jumbo Draw is widely known as The Richest Asian Lottery Draw. This Japanese Lottery takes place 4 times every year with truly massive prizes to be won by everyone around the world who plays in the game.
Lottery tickets for the Japan Jumbo Draw are sold by the Mizuho Bank exclusively and for each draw, there are a limited number of tickets that go on sale.
As the Japanese Lottery Jumbo Draw is so popular both in Japan and abroad, these tickets normally sell out and once they are all sold, there will be no more available, meaning that generally, very few foreign players are able to take part…until now…
2010 Jumbo Draw details…
Draw | Month Held | Prize Pool |
"Green" Jumbo Draw | March 2010 | ¥24.77 Billion (US$261 Million) |
"Dream" Jumbo Draw | June 2010 | ¥36.53 Billion (US$385 Million) |
"Summer" Jumbo Draw | August 2010 | ¥50.48 Billion (US$531.8 Million) |
"Autumn" Jumbo Draw | October 2010 | ¥15.09 Billion (US$531.8 Million) |
"Year End" Jumbo Draw | December 2010 | ¥97.75 Billion (US$1.03 Billion) |
How It Works…
The next Japan Jumbo Draw – the
Japan “Dream” Jumbo Draw
– takes place on June 15th 2010 at 11.30am Japan Time and has a prize pool of...¥ 36.53 Billion (US$ 385 Million)
More than 29 million cash prizes will be paid out in the Japan Jumbo Draw, with…
27 First Prizes to be won worth ¥ 5.4 Billion (Over ¥ 200 Million each)
81 Second Prizes to be won worth ¥ 8.1 Billion (Over ¥ 100 Million each)
Plus a minimum of ¥ 24 Billion in cash prizes for 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and other cash prizes.
Here is a complete breakdown of prizes to be won in the
June Japan “Dream” Jumbo Draw 2010 in Japan…
Prize Level | No.Of Prizes | How To Win | Cash Payout In Yen |
1st Prize | 27 | Match the Winning Ticket Number and Group Number | 5,400,000,000 |
2nd Prize | 81 | Match the Winning Ticket Number drawn for the 2nd Prize | 8,100,000,000 |
3rd Prize | 540 | Match the Winning Ticket Number drawn for the 3rd Prize | 5,400,000,000 |
4th Prize | 2,700 | Match the Winning Ticket Number drawn for the 4th Prize | 270,000,000 |
5th Prize | 2,700,000 | Match the Winning Ticket Number drawn for the 5th Prize | 8,100,000,000 |
6th Prize | 27,000,000 | Match the Winning Ticket Number drawn for the 6th Prize | 8,100,000,000 |
Other Prizes | 54 | Get one digit higher or lower than the 1st Prize Ticket Number | 2,700,000,000 |
Other Prizes | 2,673 | Match the Winning Ticket Number but not Group Number for 1st Prize | 267,300,000 |
Total Prizes | 29,706,075 | Total Cash Payout | 38,337,300,000 |

Who Can Play?
As with most lotteries around the world, previously only citizens living in Japan itself were allowed to play in any of the Japanese Lottery games including the Japan Jumbo Draw - you used to have to purchase your Japan lottery tickets from an authorized retailer based in Japan.
Today, though, this is not a concern as there are a good number of online lottery ticket sales companies such as LotteryShop.com who are both authorized and genuine - you are able to select your Japan Lottery numbers online and purchase your tickets no matter where in the world you live.
This is great news of course if you live outside of Japan and want to play the Japan Lottery and ensure your entry into the next draw or simply want to have the convenience and ease of being able to buy lottery tickets online.
Once you have entered into the Japan Jumbo Draw, you can then easily check the Japan Lottery results here to see how you have done and to find out if you have become one of the lucky Japan Jumbo winners.
You will need to be 18 years of age to be eligible to purchase a ticket for any of the Japan Lottery games including the Jumbo Draw.
Click here to Play the Japan JUMBO Draw Lottery Now
Information & Background
There is no higher paying Japanese lottery game than the Jumbo Draw.
It is the largest and highest paying out of all the Japanese Takarakuji lotteries – is definitely the biggest in Asia - and is believed to be the 2nd largest lottery in the world after the massive Spanish El Gordo lottery.
The Japan Jumbo Draw is one of the world’s large lotteries that most people outside of Japan itself ever get the chance to play and win on.
Until 2003, it was not possible for anyone who lived outside of Japan to take part in the Japan Jumbo. This has now changed so if you like playing in huge world lottery draws this is definitely one to go for.
What Are The Odds?
Overall odds of wining on the Japan Jumbo Draw are just 1 in 9, so for a lottery that produces a total overall payout of well over $2 Billion, this is rightly called The Richest Asian Lottery Draw.
How Are Jackpots Paid?
If you are the lucky winner of a Lottery Japan Jumbo Draw jackpot, you ill be paid your winnings in the form of a cash lump sum. All Japanese Lottery prizes are paid out as cash.
Winners of the Lottery Japan Jumbo Draw collect their winnings completely free of Japanese Government taxes – so if you win on the Japan Jumbo, you will not have to pay any tax on your winnings, which is great news.
If you play lottery online however, you will not have to be concerened with any of these details, as your authorized lottery ticket sales company, such as the LotteryShop.com will take care of all this for you.
Where The Money Goes…
Japanese lottery games were originally created to generate income for Japanese governments, both national and local.
As well as providing great opportunities to win large sums of money, these days proceeds rasied from playing any of the Japanese lottery games goes not only to local government organizations but also to various charities.
One of the areas to benefit from Takarakuji profits in Japan is public works and in the case of the Rainbow Lotteries, the Jichi Medical School for medical care promotion in rural areas and welfare societies for the elderly, benefits from funds raised.