The first lotteries in Japan are said to date from the 1630's, about 360 years ago. The went through a series of bannings and revivals until 1842, when they were banned completely. This lasted until shortly before the end of the Second World War, in 1945, when lotteries were revived to obtain funds for the war effort.
In October 1945, immediately after the war, the Japanese government began selling lottery tickets under the name Takara-kuji meaning "fortune" or "treasure" lottery. The government's aims then were to soak up idle capital in order to contain rampant inflation and to procure funds for post-war reconstruction.
In 1946, local governments were also permitted to organize Takara-kuji lotteries. From 1954, when the national government abandoned the lottery, they became the exclusive issuing bodies of Takara-kuji.
Since the first Takara-kuji was sold about fifty years ago, these lotteries have grown with the country, and today they are supported by a wide range of groups within the Japanese population. The profit collected from the sales of Takara-kuji has also become a significant part of each local government's budget and is used for public works and so forth.
According to Japanese law, only the nation's 47 prefectures and 12 specially designated cities may organize Takara-kuji lotteries.
A lottery must first obtain the approval of the local assembly and then the Minister of Home Affairs. The actual operation of the lottery (i.e., printing and delivery of the tickets to retail outlets, public relations, advertising, sales, draws, announcement of winning numbers, payment of prizes, etc.) is entrusted by law to the bank.
Although several banks have performed this function since 1945, The Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank has long taken a leading role and at present is the sole trustee.
Japanese lotteries are broadly divided into traditional or conventional style lotteries, with printed numbers on the tickets, and others in which the player can choose any combination of digits. Some of the former offer special features, such as one with a very high first prize or with low-value prizes but better odds of winning. The latter, which were introduced in 1994, are called the "Numbers". Other recently developed products include an instant lottery and the Double-Chance Lottery, which combine the conventional and instant types.
There are six major lottery types, classified by sales regions. The All-Japan Lottery is sold throughout the country. The four "bloc" lotteries are sold in each of Japan's four bloc regions (the Kanto-Chubu-Tohoku region, Tokyo Metropolitan District, the Kinki region and the West Japan region) and the Local Medical Care Promotion Lotteries (the so-called Rainbow Lotteries) are sold in designated regions. The Rainbow Lotteries are designed to aid in the purchase of equipment to upgrade facilities at the Jichi Medical School, established for medical care promotion in rural areas, as well as to obtain funds for building a welfare society for the elderly.
The All-Japan Lottery is held 12 times a year, with the bloc lotteries being held generally every week in each bloc region, and the Rainbow Lotteries being held nine times a year.
In addition to these regularly issued lotteries, the Event Lottery was created in 1989, the sales of which are permitted only on the premises of Expositions and local events sponsored by local governments. This is one of the instant lotteries and is favorably received in each region since the odds of winning are higher than other types of lotteries.
The Japan Lottery Association can be found at: www.takarakuji.nippon-net.ne.jp

See also: Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank

Japan's Great Gamble, the Last Major Untapped Market for the Casino Business
All forms of gambling are illegal or rigidly controlled here now, but the odds are shortening fast on a seismic shift that could see huge, Las Vegas-style casino complexes opening across the land
JAPAN (July 11, 2010) -- It was reported that in April, more than 100 Japanese lawmakers from a broad range of political parties got together to form what they called the "league of Diet members for the promotion of the international tourism industry." ......Subscribers

Panel Questions Benefits of Lottery Programs
JAPAN (May 23, 2010) -- The Government Revitalization Unit has urged that lottery-related programs conducted by the Japan Lottery Association and four other public-interest corporations be abolished, saying the benefits of the programs are unclear...................Subscribers

Lottery Association Justifies the Way Organizations Use Subsidies and Commissions
"If they use the money to deepen people's understanding of lotteries, then it can be recognized as lottery advertisements."
MAINICHI, Japan (May 17, 2010) -  Approximately JPY36 billion yen from over one (1) trillion yen in annual proceeds from lotteries have been funneled to at least 125 public utility organizations that employ retired bureaucrats as executives..............Subscribers

First Prize in Chari LOTO Hits Record JPY605 Million After 109 Rollovers
HIRATSUKA, Kanagawa, Japan (April 5, 2010) -- The first prize for a bicycle race lottery has hit a record 605 million yen after the jackpot was carried over for nearly two years...............Subcribers

'Amakudari' Practice Rampant at Lottery-Related Organizations
TOKYO, Japan (April 4, 2010) – A leading Japanese news service reported today that it has learned that all 43 heads,  past and present, of six nonprofit organizations funded by government-run lottery revenues assumed their posts by means of the ‘amakudari’ (Cronyism) practice of bureaucrats landing lucrative post-retirement jobs.................Subscribers

Hundreds Line Up for Sale of Year-End Jumbo Lottery Tickets
MAINICHI, Japan (November 24, 2009) - Year-End Jumbo lottery tickets went on sale across Japan on Tuesday, with more than a thousand wannabe billionaires queuing up at a lottery stand in Tokyo's Ginza district from early in the morning.................Subscribers

Japan Considers Introducing Online Gaming
SWITZERLAND (February 16, 2009) – The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has started communicating with the some of the worlds' largest online gambling operators to discuss casinos in Japan. The casino operators are sure that Japan has what it takes to be a successful destination:......................Subscribers

'Green Jumbo' Lottery Tickets Go On Sale Offering Top Prize of 150 Million Yen
MAINICHI, Japan (February 16, 2009) – A lottery whose top prize is 150 million yen went on sale on Monday, drawing lines of people in front of lottery stands across the nation......................Subscribers

Tokyo Government Eyeing Lotteries To Finance Olympic Construction
TOKYO, Japan (February 9, 2009)  -- The Tokyo metropolitan government is considering holding lotteries if the city is selected to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games to finance part of the costs of constructing facilities for the event, metropolitan government sources said Monday...................Subscribers

Tourism-Promotion Character to Feature on Lottery Tickets
MIYAGI, Japan (November 8, 2008) -- Miyagi Prefecture's official tourism-promotion character, Musubi-maru--an armored samurai whose face resembles an omusubi rice ball--will appear on municipal lottery tickets to be sold in 23 prefectures and 10 ordinance-designated cities..............Subscribers

Toto Lottery Sales Top Previous Record
TOKYO, Japan (October 31, 2008) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, which manages the toto soccer lottery, has finished repaying long-term loans totaling about 19 billion yen, a result brought about by a dramatic improvement in lottery sales.............Subscribers

Soccer Lottery Bet Pays Off
JAPAN (September 18, 2008) -- A simple high-stakes soccer lottery has helped pull the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health out of the red, with the agency likely..................Subscribers

Lotteries in Japan
TOKYO, Japan (September 12, 2008) -- Questions and answers about lotteries in Japan.............Subscribers

Players Queue for Green Jumbo Lottery Tickets
JAPAN (February 19, 2008) -- Tickets for the Green Jumbo Lottery, whose top-prize winners will get as much as 150 million yen each, went on sale across the nation on Monday.................Subscribers

New Lottery to Launch with 1.2 Billion Yen Jackpot
HIRATSUKA, Japan (February 7, 2008) -- A new lottery involving keirin cycling races at the Hiratsuka Keirin track is set to start in April, featuring jackpots of up to 1.2 billion yen.................Subscribers

Fundamental Reforms Could Still Lead to the Demise of Toto Lottery Despite New Found Popularity
Toto Lottery's Future in the Balance After BIG Wins
JAPAN (January 28,2008) -- After years of operating at a loss, and facing calls for its abolition, the "Toto" soccer lottery is finally generating a profit--by thinking BIG...............Subscribers

LDP Eyes Bill to Legalize Casinos
TOKYO, Japan (January 3, 2008) -- The ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to propose legislation to legalize casinos in Japan under strict supervision. An LDP panel on casinos plans to call for the establishment of an independent watchdog.................Subscribers

Japan's Pachinko and Slot Machine Market Downturn Could Lead to Industry Rationalization
TOKYO, Japan (September 7, 2007) -- Japan's pachinko and slot-machine market shrank in fiscal 2006 for the first time in three years, according to reports. The Research Institute said that with the number of customers falling to the lowest level in a decade, pachinko and slot-machine halls are feeling the pinch...............................Subscribers

Second-Biggest Soccer Lottery Prize Ever Awarded
TOKYO, Japan (May 21, 2007) -- Japan's second-largest soccer lottery prize of 563 million yen was recorded on Sunday.....................Subscribers

Sales of Toto Lottery Tickets Resume, But Convenience Stores Continue Suspension
JAPAN (May 16, 2007) -- The National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, the operator of the Toto soccer lottery, resumed sales of all types of its lottery tickets......................Subscribers

System Failure Causes Lottery to Suspend Sales for Soccer Betting
JAPAN (May 15, 2007) -- Japan's lottery agency Tuesday suspended sales in a soccer betting competition after the system crashed on a deluge of people seeking to win more than six million dollars........................Subscribers