Japanese Man Keeps $3.8 Million Lottery Win Secret From Wife To Live Luxury Lifestyle
The person's secret luxurious lifestyle soon took a toll on his mental health as it led to feelings of guilt and loneliness.
A 66-year-old man in Japan had a dream-come-true moment when he won 600 million yen ($3.8 million or nearly Rs 34 crore) in a lottery.
The retiree, however, did not share the wealth with his wife, deciding instead to keep the windfall hidden from her and splurging on a luxurious lifestyle, according to South China Morning Post.
Japanese retiree lives 'double life'
The elderly man, whose identity was not disclosed, stays in Tokyo with his wife. The couple have two children and they get a combined monthly pension of 300,000 yen (US$2,000 or around Rs 1,78,000), as per Japanese media outlet, The Gold Online.
He earlier retired from a major manufacturing company.
The couple had total savings of 27 million yen (US$174,000 or roughly Rs 1.55 crore), while navigating through the high cost of living in the city, besides supporting their children's education.
The Gold Online highlighted that the man used to spend time at a local coffee shop. Post breakfast, he even purchased lottery tickets, with each of them worth 300 yen (US$2 or about Rs 178).
The Japanese retiree's life took a dramatic turn when he was informed he had bagged the grand prize.
He was stunned to hear this. “This does not feel real. The number is so huge, I am even a bit scared,” South China Morning Post quoted him saying.
He had heard that "the odds of winning are lower than being struck by lightning. This is just an experience in my life.”
However, the retiree made an uncommon decision. He decided not to inform his wife about the lottery win, since she had complete control over finances. The report claimed that she had even banned him from consuming beer post marriage and only granted him permission to buy an old cheap car.
The man told his partner that he won 5 million yen (US$32,000 or about Rs 28.5 lakh) in a lottery and they would utilise that amount to renovate their house.
What did he do with the rest of the lottery win?
The 66-year-old spent the winning amount on various things. He purchased a luxury car, stayed at high-end hot spring resorts on multiple occasions and even travelled across the country. He ended up spending 18 million yen (US$116,000 or nearly Rs 1.03 crore) in a matter of six months.
He kept his new car underground and used to wear old clothes to ensure that his wife did not get to know about his luxury lifestyle.
His secret lifestyle later turned into guilt and loneliness.
After looking at other couples, he used to think about his own family and even recall past memories of his father, who apparently passed away alone after a divorce and bankruptcy.
“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,” the person said.
Post that, he contacted a financial planner and made the decision to invest around 500 million yen (US$3.2 million or about Rs 28.6 crore) into insurance, with his family as beneficiaries.
