The official X account for the Japan lottery said on November 5 that it had confirmed a problem in which users' passwords on the "Takarakuji Official Site" were changed without their intent, and that it had suspended use of the site. The operator said it is hurrying to identify the scope of the impact and will notify affected users once details are known.
The site was still showing a page announcing the suspension when ITmedia News checked at 10 a.m. on November 6, with no indication of when service would resume. The shutdown also blocks entries to a continuing-purchase campaign. Lottery ticket counters are operating as usual, according to the operator.
Users who use the same ID and password on the lottery site as on other websites or apps are being asked to consider changing them as a precaution. The operator did not address the cause of the password changes or how many accounts were involved.
The lottery site handles purchases and account details for a service run under the national lottery program, and the unexplained password changes raise questions about how account security is handled on a public-facing platform.