¥4 billion in lottery proceeds to go to quake-hit Kumamoto

About ¥4 billion in proceeds from the Nenmatsu Jumbo series year-end public lotteries in Japan will be allocated to quake-hit Kumamoto Prefecture and its capital on a priority basis, it was learned Wednesday.

The policy was set by a public lottery association comprising relevant local governments, according to informed sources.

The money will be used for reconstruction projects in areas damaged by the powerful July 28 temblor, which measured up to shindo 7, the highest level on Japan’s seismic intensity scale.

Tickets for the year-end lotteries will be on sale between Nov. 24 and Dec. 25.

Of about ¥183 billion in estimated total sales of the Nenmatsu Jumbo and Nenmatsu Jumbo Mini lottery tickets, ¥10 billion will be set aside as resources for aid to disaster-hit areas. Proceeds after the deduction of winning amounts and other expenses are projected to total some ¥4 billion.

Takarakuji public lotteries in Japan, including the Nenmatsu Jumbo series, are sold by prefectural governments and major cities designated by a central government ordinance, with lottery proceeds shared among them.

Lottery proceeds are an independent revenue source for local governments and can be used for a variety of projects.

Following the massive earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture in April 2016, takarakuji proceeds were allocated preferentially to afflicted areas for the restoration of facilities, including roads as well as farmland.