A Pokémon-Card Crime Spree Jolts Japan
The birthplace of Pokémon battles a frenzy for characters such as Squirtle the turtle
By Miho Inada
TOKYO—The brazen thieves hacked through the shutters of a shop in the suburbs here, smashed glass showcases and nabbed valuables before fleeing into the darkness of the wee hours. Their loot? Pieces of cardboard adorned with cute Japanese cartoon characters including Pikachu, a chubby mouse-like fellow, and Squirtle, a water-squirting turtle.
“I thought I was finished,” recalls Kenta Hosaka, the 33-year-old owner of the shop who says his most expensive cards, together worth about $58,000, were all gone.
Japan has been staggered by a Pokémon crime spree. Stores are now paying for banklike security to ward off villains who go to extraordinary lengths, even rappelling down the side of buildings, to plunder Pokémon.