Quiz $ Millionaire
| Quiz $ Millionaire | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? |
| Japanese | クイズ$ミリオネア |
| Created by |
|
| Directed by | Keiichi Tanaka |
| Presented by | Monta Mino (2000–2013) Kazunari Ninomiya (2026) |
| Narrated by | Seigo M. Takei (2000) Kyōya Kimura (2000–2013) Tsutomu Tareki (2026) |
| Composers | Keith Strachan Matthew Strachan |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Original language | Japanese |
| Production | |
| Producers | Toshihiko Matsuo Hanako Aso Hiroyasu Hanazono |
| Running time | 53 minutes–3 hours[1] |
| Production company | Fuji Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | FNS (Fuji TV) |
| Release | April 20, 2000 – January 1, 2026 |
Quiz $ Millionaire (クイズ$ミリオネア, Kuizu $ Mirionea), sometimes referred to as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,[1] is a Japanese quiz show based on the original program of the latter title created by Celador International and later 2waytraffic and currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Television. It premiered on Fuji Television on April 20, 2000, and aired its final episode on January 1, 2026. The show was hosted by television personality Monta Mino (みの もんた, Mino Monta) until 2013[2] and actor Kazunari Ninomiya (二宮 和也, Ninomiya Kazunari) in 2026.
The main goal of the game is to win ¥10,000,000 by answering twelve multiple-choice questions correctly. There are three lifelines - Fifty-Fifty (フィフティ・フィフティ, Fifuti Fifuti), Phone-a-Friend (テレフォン, Terefon) (a phone call to an unlimited number of supporters (as long as it is four or less) who are in one place), and Ask The Host (アスク・ザ・ホスト, Asuku Za Hosuto). Whenever a contestant answers the second question correct, he is guaranteed ¥100,000. When a contestant answers the seventh question correct, he is guaranteed ¥1,000,000.
This version has the distinction of having the most top prize winners in the worldwide Millionaire franchise.[3] Seigo M. Takei (武居“M”征吾, Takei Emu Seigo) was the announcer of the show until August of its debut year, Kyōya Kimura (木村 匡也, Kimura Kyōya) until 2013 and Tsutomu Tareki (垂木 勉, Tareki Tsutomu) in 2026.
Broadcast history
The show was broadcast every Thursday[4] regularly from April 20, 2000 to March 29, 2007. From May 3, 2007 onward, the show was brought back for occasional specials, with the most recent one being broadcast January 1, 2026.[5][6]
Super Millionaire
Super Millionaire was a spin-off of Quiz $ Millionaire. The show was broadcast twice, with the first episode raising the grand prize to ¥20 million. The series also added four new rules:[7]
- There were only 10 questions, as opposed to the normal 15.
- Questions 1-5 had 4 choices, and 6-10 had 2 choices, meaning contestants could not use 50:50 after the 5th question.
- Contestants could not walk away on the 9th or 10th questions.
- There were no guaranteed sums.
Clock format
In 2009, the series became the first international version of Millionaire to adopt the clock format from the American version of the show.[7] Contestants now have time limits for each question: 30 seconds each for questions 1–9, 1 minute each for questions 10–12, and 3 minutes each for questions 13–15. Usage of lifelines temporarily pauses the clock. However, unlike the US version, the remaining time after giving an answer for that question is void. Contestants who exceed the time limit on a given question without giving a "final answer" are forced to walk away with whatever winnings they have at that point.
Payout Structure
Answering a question correctly is worth a specific cash prize at each level. Contestants who successfully answer questions on levels with bolded amounts in the table below are guaranteed to leave with no less than the cash award at that level should they incorrectly answer a later question.[8]
| Question number | Question value |
|---|---|
| 1 | ¥10,000 |
| 2 | ¥20,000 |
| 3 | ¥30,000 |
| 4 | ¥50,000 |
| 5 | ¥100,000 |
| 6 | ¥150,000 |
| 7 | ¥250,000 |
| 8 | ¥500,000 |
| 9 | ¥750,000 |
| 10 | ¥1,000,000 |
| 11 | ¥1,500,000 |
| 12 | ¥2,500,000 |
| 13 | ¥5,000,000 |
| 14 | ¥7,500,000 |
| 15 | ¥10,000,000 |
| Question number | December 23, 2007 | March 27, 2008 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ¥10,000 | |
| 2 | ¥100,000 | |
| 3 | ¥250,000 | |
| 4 | ¥500,000 | |
| 5 | ¥1,000,000 | |
| 6 | ¥2,500,000 | ¥1,500,000 |
| 7 | ¥5,000,000 | ¥2,500,000 |
| 8 | ¥10,000,000 | ¥5,000,000 |
| 9 | ¥15,000,000 | ¥7,500,000 |
| 10 | ¥20,000,000 | ¥10,000,000 |
| Question number | Question value |
|---|---|
| 1 | ¥50,000 |
| 2 | ¥100,000 |
| 3 | ¥150,000 |
| 4 | ¥200,000 |
| 5 | ¥300,000 |
| 6 | ¥500,000 |
| 7 | ¥1,000,000 |
| 8 | ¥1,500,000 |
| 9 | ¥2,000,000 |
| 10 | ¥3,000,000 |
| 11 | ¥5,000,000 |
| 12 | ¥10,000,000 |
Top prize winners
Civilians
| Name | Transliteration | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 國光恭幸 | Yasuyuki Kunimitsu[9][10] | July 27, 2000 |
| 永田喜彰 | Yoshiaki Nagata | August 10, 2000 |
| 今尾奈緒子 | Naoko Imao | November 2, 2000 |
| 能勢一幸 | Kazuyuki Nose | February 15, 2001 |
| 坂本ひとみ | Hitomi Sakamoto | December 13, 2001 |
| 菊地晃史 | Akifumi Kikuchi | June 27, 2002 |
| 江口みち子 | Michiko Eguchi | August 1, 2002 |
| 長田直美 | Naomi Nagata | November 14, 2002 |
| 三島祥子 | Shōko Mishima | May 8, 2003 |
| 菊池友久 | Tomohisa Kikuchi | April 28, 2005 |
| 濱田敏彦 | Toshihiko Hamada | May 26, 2005 |
| 野添潤子 | Junko Nozoe | June 29, 2006 |
| 大井恵子 | Keiko Ōi | July 27, 2006 |
Kids
| Name | Transliteration | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 小林宏太郎 | Koutaro Kobayashi | September 6, 2001 |
| 南川克博 | Katsuhiro Minamigawa | September 6, 2001 |
| 棚橋紗夕 | Sayuu Tanabashi | September 4, 2003 |
| 片岡菜摘 | Natsumi Kataoka | September 4, 2003 |
| 黄原暁 | Jō Kihara | August 26, 2004 |
Celebrities
| Name | Transliteration | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 馳浩 | Hiroshi Hase | November 23, 2000 |
| 鈴木大地 | Daichi Suzuki | September 18, 2003 |
| 新庄剛志 | Tsuyoshi Shinjo[11] | January 2, 2004 |
| 堀江貴文 | Takafumi Horie | December 30, 2004 |
| 細木数子 | Kazuko Hosoki | December 30, 2004 |
| 堺正章 | Masaaki Sakai | April 7, 2005 |
| 田中康夫 | Yasuo Tanaka | April 7, 2005 |
| 柏木由紀子 and 大島花子 | Yukiko Kashiwagi and Hanako Oshima | April 21, 2005 |
| 小泉孝太郎 | Kotaro Koizumi | January 2, 2006 |
| 浅野ゆう子 | Yūko Asano | March 23, 2006 |
| 為末大 | Dai Tamesue | September 14, 2006 |
| 坂東三津五郎 (10代目) | Bandō Mitsugorō X | October 5, 2006 |
| デヴィ・スカルノ | Dewi Sukarno[12] | October 26, 2006 |
| 紺野美沙子 | Misako Konno | February 15, 2007 |
| 谷原章介 | Shōsuke Tanihara | July 5, 2007 |
| 富司純子 | Sumiko Fuji | March 27, 2008 |
| 徳光和夫 | Kazuo Tokumitsu | March 27, 2008 |
| ビートたけし | Takeshi Kitano | January 30, 2009 |
| 太田光 | Hikari Ōta[13] | April 1, 2009 |
| 芦田愛菜 | Mana Ashida[1] | January 2, 2013 |
| 橋本環奈 | Kanna Hashimoto[14] | January 1, 2026 |
Merchandise
Several home versions have been released based on the show. The first of these was a board game released in 2001 by Takara Tomy,[15] who later released another electronic version of the game.[16] A version for the PlayStation game console was released on December 20, 2001,[17] with an updated party version released for the same console in 2002.[18] A book entitled "Complete cheats! Quiz $ Millionaire" (完全攻略! クイズ$ミリオネア, Kanzen kōryaku kuizu mirionea), was released by Fusosha on March 20, 2002.[19]
In addition, Visiware and Sony Pictures Television have released an app based on the program's format for iOS and Android devices. Mino introduced the app during the special that aired on January 2, 2013. The app allows home viewers to play the game simultaneously, being asked the same questions featured on the show.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "Visiware and Sony successfully launched the 2nd-screen application for Fuji-TV's Who Wants to Be A Millionaire in Japan". Visiware. Archived from the original on May 4, 2013. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
- ^ Tomoko, Yamakawa. "Japan, Power Exporter of Program Formats". Webzine. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
- ^ "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". Gameshow Hall of Fame. January 21, 2007. GSN.
- ^ Brasor, Philip (June 1, 2000). "Who Wants to Say he's a Millionaire?". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ "2026年新春 あの伝説のクイズ番組『クイズ＄ミリオネア』が13年ぶりに帰ってくる！ "みの"から"にの"へ、司会は二宮和也に決定！！ 「ファイナルアンサー？」で"にのだめ"爆誕！？". Fuji Television (in Japanese). 2025-09-24. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
- ^ "『クイズ$ミリオネア』13年ぶり復活 2代目司会は二宮和也【コメント全文】 "みの"から"にの"へ". Oricon (in Japanese). 24 September 2025. Archived from the original on 24 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Chris (May 15, 2014). "Quiz Show Underground: Quiz $ Millionaire". Otaku Drive Time. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Quiz $ Millionaire". GameSHOWS.ru.
- ^ Schaeffer, Gary (August 9, 2000). "'Millionaire' quiz show import does not work in Japan" (PDF). Laredo Morning Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ^ "Chris's Final Answer". Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK). Season 30. Episode 11. 11 February 2014. Event occurs at 33:38.
- ^ "Tsuyoshi Shinjo: A leisurely and free life in Bali" 新庄剛志 バリ島で悠々自適のフリーダム生活 (in Japanese). Asagei+plus. December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ "Mrs. Dewi's fees are extremely low!" デヴィ夫人は、ギャラが激安！ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
- ^ "Ota from Bakusho Mondai wins 10 million yen on Quiz Millionaire!" クイズミリオネアで爆笑問題の太田が１千万円獲得！ (in Japanese). April 2, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
- ^ "「ミリオネア」橋本環奈が復活1発目で1000万円獲得！「ヤバ～い」連呼、芸能人では09年太田光以来". Sponichi Annex (in Japanese). January 1, 2026.
- ^ "Millionaire quiz board game (japan import)". Amazon. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
- ^ "Experience the show virtually with Mino Monta's voice! Tomy Quiz Millionaire" みのもんたのボイスで番組をバーチャル体験! トミー「クイズ$ミリオネア」 (in Japanese). Game Watch. January 24, 2002. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- ^ "Game Box Shot: Quiz $ Millionaire (JP, 12/20/01)". Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ^ "The final answer for whole family? Quiz Millionaire Exciting Party" 家族みんなでファイナルアンサー？ 『クイズ$ミリオネア わくわくパーティー』 (in Japanese). September 28, 2002. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
- ^ "Complete Guide to Quiz Millionaire!" 完全攻略！ クイズ＄ミリオネア (in Japanese). Retrieved May 7, 2014.