The "Year-End Jumbo" lottery with the highest prize money goes on sale! What are the dreams of Mr. Yakusho and the other three?

The "Year-End Jumbo Lottery" (731st National Autonomous Lottery), featuring a total prize pool of 1 billion yen for the first prize and adjacent prizes, went on sale nationwide on November 27. A commemorative launch event was held at the Nishi-Ginza Chance Center in Chuo Ward, Tokyo.

The "Year-End Jumbo Lottery" is popular for offering the highest prizes among Jumbo Lotteries, with a first prize of 700 million yen and front/back prizes of 150 million yen each. Also launched simultaneously were the "Year-End Jumbo Mini" with a combined first prize and front/back prizes totaling 70 million yen, and the newly introduced "Year-End Jumbo Petit 7 Million" with a first prize of 7 million yen. The number of winning tickets worth 100,000 yen or more across all three year-end jumbo lotteries was approximately six times higher than the previous year. Around 700 lottery fans formed a line at the Chance Center waiting for the sale to begin.

On a special stage in front of the sales area, actors Kōji Yakusho and Miwako Kakei, former AKB48 member Haruka Shimazaki, and comedian Nora Hirano—all appearing in the Year-End Jumbo TV commercials—held a talk show.

Kakei, making her first commercial appearance, shared her surprise upon receiving the offer: "I often saw commercials featuring samurai. I never imagined I'd be part of that world." Similarly, first-time participant Hirano expressed her delight, weaving in her signature catchphrase: "It was truly 'out of this world~!' I was mammothly happy. This is the most bubble-era job I've been waiting for!"

When asked, "If you won 1 billion yen, what dream would you fulfill?" Kakei replied, "First, I'd want to smell 1 billion yen and sleep surrounded by it. Then I'd want to go on a space trip." Hirano drew laughter with her answer: "It's such a huge sum, I'd want to use it for the world and people. I'd give shoulder pads to everyone in the world."