Tokyo man hides $3.8m lottery win from wife while secretly living in luxury

An elderly man in Japan who won $3.8 million in the lottery kept his windfall from his penny-pinching wife so he could briefly enjoy a life of luxury. The 66-year-old, identified only as “S”, is a retired employee of a major manufacturing firm and lives in Tokyo with his wife on a combined monthly pension of $2,000. With high city living costs and the added burden of supporting two children’s education, the couple had managed to save $174,000.

S spent his mornings reading the newspaper in a local coffee shop before buying a few lottery tickets, each costing $2. One day, he was informed he had won a large amount and needed to visit the bank. There he learnt he had secured the grand prize of 600 million yen. The news left him stunned. “This does not feel real. The number is so huge, I am even a bit scared,” he said, before adding that he viewed it simply as “an experience” given the slim odds of winning, reported the South China Morning Post.

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Secret spending spree

Rather than sharing the truth with his wife, who strictly controlled household finances, had banned beer at home and allowed only an old inexpensive car, S told her he had won just $32,000 to fund home renovations. In reality, he bought a luxury car, booked multiple stays at high-end hot spring resorts and travelled across Japan, spending $116,000 in six months.

To avoid raising suspicion, he took the underground daily to the car park where he kept his new vehicle, wore old clothes and distanced himself from his regular social circle. Yet his covert indulgence soon gave way to guilt and loneliness. Seeing other families on his travels made him think of his own, and memories of his father’s lonely death after divorce and bankruptcy resurfaced. S felt his discomfort traced back to the unearned wealth itself.

“If this money had been earned through my own efforts, I would be proud of it. But wealth that comes without effort brings up unpleasant memories and shakes my life,” he said.

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Eventually, S sought advice from a financial planner and chose to invest nearly $3.2 million of his winnings into insurance, naming his wife and children as beneficiaries. He hopes the funds will give them financial security after his death.