Pokemon card robberies in Japan have seen “tens of millions of yen” stolen

A recent series of robberies in Japan has seen millions of yen being stolen in Pokemon cards, this series of burglaries seemingly targeted high-valued cards and collections across the city of Tokyo. 

The Pokemon franchise has built itself into one of the most popular and beloved entertainment series of all time. And while the video games and anime may be where it all began, the Pokemon card game is its own beast, with rare cards selling for thousands of dollars and people worldwide searching for ways to complete their collections.

However, the major downside to the Pokemon card game is that, throughout the years, theft has become a bigger problem in regards to people stealing special cards – or even whole collections – from Pokemon traders and collectors.

According to a new report from The Japan Times, a series of break-ins and burglaries in Tokyo have resulted in “tens of millions of yen” being stolen, all in high-value trading cards. Nintendo Life also reported that the sources from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department have described how “several” stores in Tokyo’s Akihabara district were all targeted as part of a string of late-night Pokemon card burglaries in the second half of 2022.

Pokemon card collections are being targeted and stolen across Tokyo

In December 2022, one break-in resulted in 60 Pokemon cards being stolen, these cards all highly valued. The resulting theft – and all the cards that were stolen – was valued at 8.5 million yen worth of Pokemon cards ($64,147 USD). Since then, four other similar break-ins occurred since the end of 2022.

And while all of these attacks may be centered around stealing the cards, their nature has been varied. On December 14 2022, it was reported that a 25-year-old man was arrested for using a stolen credit card to purchase approximately 1,000 Pokemon cards. 

Sources from The Japan Times explained how “it’s difficult to identify the whereabouts of stolen cards because they are not uniquely numbered and may be taken overseas”.

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