According to a recent white paper issued by the Japan Productivity Center, the number of regular pachinko players has fallen to 9.7 million, or one-third of its customer base in 1995 during the industry’s heyday. The National Police Agency reports that the number of pachinko parlors in Japan has fallen by 34.8% over the same time period. All seven prefectures of Kyushu have lost between 31% and 40% of their pachinko parlors since 1995, with Kumamoto and Miyazaki Prefectures trending toward the 40% end of that spectrum. Nichiyukyo, the main pachinko industry association, sees the trend as stemming from a decline in recreational customers due to attempts to attract more repeat customers by competing to develop machines more conducive to the “gambling spirit”. The association also admits it has made “little progress” in developing new customers from the younger generation because they are more interested in video games. Meanwhile, the industry faces even more obstacles. A ministry of health report from this August said there were 5.36 million suspected cases of gambling addiction in Japan, and it singled out pachinko and pachinko slot machines as one cause. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 12/14
