Official language: Japanese
Population: 127,433,494
Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY)

Current Exchange Rate
1 EUR = 132.66 JPY
1 GBP = 142.29 JPY
1 USD = 89.99 JPY

Poker in Japan
The status of poker in Japan is confusing. Technically, the game is not legal. There are no poker rooms or even casinos anywhere in Japan and all card and table games are banned. The only legal types of gambling are betting on races, playing the lottery, and wagering small amounts on certain games like pachinko or mahjong. Poker games do take place, but these are held at illegal, underground casinos run by the Yakuza.

Strangely, even though poker games are outlawed in Japan, tournaments still occur. Everest Poker hosts the Everest Poker Japan Cup. The tournament starts with a series of online qualifier events, then ends in the major tournament. No cash prize is offered to keep things a bit more legal. Instead, a prize package is given, with a value of over $20,000. Another major Japanese poker event, and the largest so far, is the All Japan Poker Championship. This event has no entry fee to keep with local laws, and the first place prize is a seat at the next WSOP.

Online Poker in Japan
Online poker is similarly hard to find in Japan. Just as land-based poker games are banned, so is online gambling. But since all major international poker sites are hosted in countries where the Japanese government has no jurisdiction, there is little they can do to prevent players in Japan from using those sites.

In fact, some of Japan's major poker events, like the Everest Poker Japan Cup, use online poker sites to host qualifier and satellite tournaments. Internet poker is very popular there, mostly because it's the easiest way for players in Japan to enjoy the game. The government in Japan is currently discussing the legalization of land-based casinos, which might mean that in the future Japanese players will find it easier to play online poker.