About ¥4 billion raised by Japan's Nenmatsu Jumbo year-end lotteries will go first to Kumamoto Prefecture and its capital city to help rebuild after a powerful earthquake in July, The Japan Times reports, citing informed sources.
The 28 July quake reached shindo 7, the top of Japan's seismic intensity scale. The decision was taken by a lottery association made up of the local governments that run the draws. Of an estimated ¥183 billion in ticket sales, ¥10 billion is earmarked for disaster aid, leaving about ¥4 billion after prizes and costs.
Tickets go on sale from 24 November to 25 December. Lottery income is an independent revenue source for local authorities, and similar priority funding was given to Kumamoto after the 2016 earthquakes there to repair roads and farmland.
Source: The Japan Times
