Japanese Lottery Guide - Everything You Need to Know

Since the 15th century, people in Japan have been participating in lottery-style games for a chance at winning exciting prizes. While in the past, lucky winners were awarded amulets for happiness and good fortune (which are definitely great to have), modern Japanese lottery games can offer prizes of millions of yen several times a week! Keep reading this guide to learn all about Japanese lotteries and the prizes they have to offer.

What are the odds of winning a Japanese lottery prize?

The best odds available from Japanese lotteries can be found with Mini Loto 7, with the odds set at just 1 in 169,911.

If you’re looking for bigger prizes, Japan Loto 6 will definitely fit the bill with its multi-million dollar jackpots and fairly good odds of winning one, at 1 in 6,096,454. Last, but definitely not least, is Loto 7. While it may be the most challenging of the bunch to win, with just a 1 in 10,295,472 chance of winning, this Japanese lottery offers top prizes that are significantly bigger than those of Mini Loto and Loto 6!

Which draw offers the biggest Japanese lottery prizes?

Japan Loto 7 may have the lowest odds, but the draw’s prizes can definitely make it worth playing! Just as the name implies, players can win from 7 prize categories, with prizes ranging from ¥1,100 (approximately AU$13.5) to a jackpot that can reach ¥1 billion (approximately AU$12.4 million)!

Japan Mini Loto

While it may be called Mini Loto, this draw quickly gained huge popularity across Japan after it launched in 1999 thanks to its great odds of taking home a prize!

To enter a Japan Mino Loto draw, players need to choose five numbers from a field of 1-31. On the day of the draw, a bonus number is picked from the same pool of numbers. Thanks to the lottery’s small guess range and numbers needed to win, the jackpot prize is usually won by multiple players!

So, just how big is the Mini Loto jackpot? Approximately ¥10 million (AU$124k). This amount resets at each draw and the jackpot must be won. If nobody matches the top prize at the draw, the winnings will be awarded to the winners of the next highest prize category. This, in combination with the fact that the final prize amounts are dictated by ticket sales, means that a potential lottery prize may be even bigger than originally advertised!

At TheLotter Australia, you can buy entries to Japan Little Lotto and match them to participate in Mini Lotto Japan!

You can view the Japan Mini Loto results shortly after the draw every Tuesday at 18:45 (GMT+9). Japan Little Lotto draws correspond to those of the Japan Mini Loto.

Japan Loto 6

Loto 6 has been a staple for Japanese players since its launch in October 2000 thanks to the incredible weekly prizes that rival the country's famous Jumbo Draw raffle and is still one of the most popular lotteries today!

The game rules for Loto 6 are simple. Players must choose six numbers from a guess range of 1-43. At the draw, a single bonus number selected from the same pool. This number determines the lottery's second division prize.

Loto 6 offers players five prize categories, with a jackpot that starts at ¥200 million. If nobody claims the top prize, the Loto 6 jackpot can reach an impressive ¥600 million before a must-be-won draw is held. Find out the winning numbers by looking up the latest Japan Loto 6 results every Monday and Thursday at 18:45 (GMT+9).

At TheLotter Australia, you can participate in Japan Lotto VI, whose draws mirror Japan Loto 6 draws!

Japan Loto 7

Since launching in 2013, Japan Loto 7 has garnered a huge local and international fanbase due to the lottery's jaw-dropping jackpots - it's the latest and biggest weekly lottery to come out of Japan!

To join a Loto 7 draw, seven numbers from 1-37 must be chosen. Two bonus ball numbers are also selected at the draw from the same drum, creating the lottery's second, sixth, and seventh prize categories.

Loto 7 is Japan's biggest lottery, with jackpot prize starts at ¥600 million and can keep growing with each rollover until it reaches the incredible ¥1 billion jackpot cap. Be sure to check the latest Japan Loto 7 results every Friday!

Here at TheLotter Australia, you can participate in Lotto VII, which mirrors the format of the official Japan Loto 7 lottery.

Does Japan tax lottery winnings?

Just like Australian lottery prizes, any winnings you claim from a Japanese lottery draw will not be taxed. The only time a tax is levied is when a winner gifts a relative or friend over ¥1.1 million in prize winnings over the course of a year, in which case a gift tax is applied.

A history of lotteries in Japan

One of the earliest records of lottery play in Japan was in 1624 where it was written that visitors to the Minosan Ryuanji Temple in current-day Osaka, would place a wooden tablet with their name into a box between New Year’s Day and 7 January. On the last day, a monk would draw three tablets from the box and give each of the winners an amulet for happiness and good fortune. Similar lottery-style games were staged throughout the Edo Period as a way for temples and shrines to gain funds for maintenance and repairs.

After a ban on lotteries in 1842 that lasted over a century, Japan's modern lottery system was established in October 1945 just three months after the end of World War II, though it was only in the 1980s when the number-select lotteries we're familiar with came to Japan, with Mini Loto launching in 1999, Loto 6 in 2000, and Loto 7 in 2013.

Through the centuries, lotteries have remained an indispensable way of aiding and maintaining prefectures across Japan without raising taxes. 45% of the proceeds will go straight to winners, 40% are directed to local governments, and the remaining 15% covers retail commission and administration expenses. According to a 2016 survey published on the Takarakuji website, people who have played the lottery at least once make up about 76.4% of Japan's population. It was also found that Osaka is the city with the most lottery fans. We think this is very fitting, seeing as the first record of lottery play in Japan was also in modern-day Osaka!

Japanese lottery prizes are waiting at TheLotter Australia!

Forget travelling to Japan - You can experience Japanese lottery games with TheLotter Australia's lottery supplier service from the comfort of your own home!

Interested in other foreign lotteries? Check out the world lotteries on offer at TheLotter Australia.

TheLotter Australia customers are not purchasing tickets, or participating in nominated foreign lotteries. Our Lottery Supplier Service provides our customers with the opportunity to receive monies equivalent to official prize winnings in those lotteries, less any applicable taxes.