Japanese gamblers flock to pachinko parlours, undermining coronavirus restrictions

Japan has so far avoided the explosive surge in infections seen in other parts of the world, but the number has been steadily increasing

Pachinko parlours already operate in a legal grey area, skirting anti-gambling laws by giving winners prizes that they can exchange for cash off the premises

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A man wearing a face mask at a pachinko parlour in Osaka. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 10:30am, 23 Apr 2020Updated: 4:53pm, 23 Apr 2020

Lines outside Tokyo’s pachinko parlours show the limits of Japan’s ability to enforce social distancing, just as the country heads into a series of holidays that could be key to its attempts to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Pachinko, a US$192 billion industry that lures gamblers with pinball-like machines, has come under scrutiny since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures two weeks ago. As virus cases continued to climb in the country, topping 12,000 as of Thursday, the emergency was extended nationwide.

While many non-essential businesses have voluntarily shut or cut hours in accordance with local government requests, there are no penalties for failure to comply and some pachinko parlours have remained open. Concerns have grown as gamblers risk spreading the virus by travelling in search of places to play.

“Where they are open in one area, I hear that people travel from other prefectures to gather there,” said Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who heads the government’s response to the pandemic.

The government is considering the next step of having local authorities publish the names of the businesses that have ignored requests to close down, he said.

Pachinko parlours already operate in a legal grey area, skirting anti-gambling laws by giving winners prizes that they can exchange for cash off the premises.

The issue is coming to a head as Japan braces for Golden Week, a series of public holidays from late April to early May that are among the most popular times to travel. The state of emergency is currently set to end May 6, though an extension is possible. Unlike countries including the UK and France, Japan hasn’t introduced fines for leaving home unnecessarily.