Crane games to be installed in 1,000 Lawson stores in Japan to engage customers

TOKYO — Lawson, a major supermarket chain in Japan, plans to install crane slot machines in 1,000 stores across the country by the end of fiscal 2025, as the company aims to attract customers to play its popular games.

Lawson installed crane game machines at some of its stores in the Kinki region of western Japan in 2022, and at some stores in urban areas such as the Tokyo metropolitan area from April. Character-themed merchandise, which are prizes for the games, is popular with overseas customers, and sales have been particularly strong at stores in tourist areas such as Tokyo’s Odaiba and Kyoto.

A Lawson spokesperson analyzed: “The fact that the prizes are products not sold in stores and the affordable price of 100 yen (about $0.64) per game attract customers.”

The Japan Amusement Industry Association reported that crane games are a popular genre, accounting for more than half of total arcade sales. However, according to a survey by Teikoku Databank, there were a total of 18 bankruptcies or closures of amusement facilities in fiscal year 2023, and the number of amusement facilities is declining as they struggle with rising operating costs.

In the future, convenience stores could become the new home for crane games. Lawson hopes that “people will be able to play the games in their local convenience stores across the country in a casual way.” The company plans to expand its crane game services by offering original prizes that can only be obtained in the stores where the games are installed and by linking the games to campaigns.

(Japanese original by Yuka Kato, Business News Department)