News Release

Jul. 17, 2026 OSE Nikkei 225 mini 20th Anniversary

On July 18, 2006, the Nikkei 225 mini was listed on Osaka Securities Exchange Co., Ltd (now Osaka Exchange, Inc. (OSE)).

As a contract one-tenth the size of the Nikkei 225 Futures contract, the Nikkei 225 mini has enabled investors to trade the benchmark index in smaller units. Since its launch, it has been widely utilized by individual investors as well as domestic and international institutional investors, and has grown into one of the leading products in Japan’s equity index futures market.

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of its listing, we would like to look back on the history of the Nikkei 225 mini, the development of the market over the past two decades, and the initiatives being undertaken to mark this milestone on a special webpage.

Message from Tagaya Akira, President & CEO, Osaka Exchange, Inc.

We are pleased to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the listing of the Nikkei 225 mini.

On behalf of Osaka Exchange, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all investors, securities firms, trading participants, and other market stakeholders who have supported the market over the years.

Since its launch in 2006, the Nikkei 225 mini has served as a more accessible and flexible way to trade Nikkei 225 Futures. It has been widely used by a broad range of market participants—from individual investors to institutional investors—and has helped expand participation in Japan’s equity index futures market.

As well as paving the way for the development of products designed to meet a variety of investor needs, including mini-TOPIX Futures, mini-10-year JGB Futures, Nikkei 225 micro Futures, and Nikkei 225 mini Options, the introduction of the Nikkei 225 mini has also accelerated improvements to market infrastructure over the past two decades, including the extension of trading hours and enhancements to trading systems. As a result, the derivatives market today offers investors a much wider range of products suited to their investment objectives and scale of investment, and through providing new investment opportunities and enhancing risk management functions, has contributed to the development of Japan’s capital markets.

In recent years, factors such as the expansion of the NISA program have broadened the investor base, while demand for diverse investment strategies has continued to grow. In this environment, OSE remains committed to enhancing market reliability and convenience and to creating an attractive marketplace for all market participants.

We view the 20th anniversary of the Nikkei 225 mini not only as an opportunity to reflect on its history, but also as a new starting point for the continued growth and development of Japan’s derivatives market.

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