Crime & Courts

Toyama Pref. Man Arrested for Allegedly Selling Counterfeit Pokemon Cards

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:15 JST, July 6, 2023

A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of selling counterfeit Pokemon cards to a shop that sells used items in Imizu, Toyama Prefecture, in violation of the Copyright Law.

According to Toyama prefectural police, the man allegedly sold five Pokemon trading cards for a total of about ¥280,000 on March 20, with one card featuring Pikachu selling for about ¥100,000.

The shop contacted the police later that month after suspicions were raised about the thickness and sheen of the collectible items.

The police sent the cards to The Pokemon Company, the copyright holder, for evaluation and the Tokyo-based firm confirmed the cards were counterfeit. The police then arrested the suspect on July 3.

The man, who lives in Toyama Prefecture, told police he did not know the cards were fake, according to the police.