Japanese Lawmakers to Begin Discussions on Complete Ban of Sports Betting

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, December 17, 2025

A cross-party group of lawmakers decided Tuesday to begin discussions on a complete ban on sports betting that violates the Penal Code.

The sports parliamentary league, chaired by former Prime Minister Taro Aso, decided to set up a project team to consider establishing legislation to protect athletes and referees from gambling-related misconduct.

The move comes amid the rampant spread of sports betting, in which bets are made on sporting outcomes domestically and abroad.

The group held an executive meeting at the Diet Building on the day, confirming that sports betting will not be permitted in Japan. While sports betting is legal in the other six G7 nations, the league clarified its policy of distancing themselves on this issue, stating that sports betting “does not fit Japan.”

Former Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita of the Liberal Democratic Party will serve as chair of the project team, which will begin discussions with experts from early next year.

When putting together the legislation, the team intends to reference the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention), which the Council of Europe enforced in 2019. The convention calls for countries to establish a public agency to collect information, to facilitate information sharing among nations and to cooperate internationally against match-fixing and other fraudulent activities. While the option to ratify the convention is considered an option, the team will explore establishing domestic legislation that allows for more rapid and flexible responses.

According to the Council for Sports Ecosystem Promotion, a general incorporated foundation promoting the sports industry, residents in Japan bet at least ¥6.4503 trillion on overseas sports betting websites, of which ¥1.0183 trillion was gambled on domestic sports.