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Pokémon Cards in Japan Become Nationwide Theft Targets
With the price of Pokémon cards soaring, a string of crimes targeting the trading cards is making waves across Japan.
By Himari Semans
In Japan, as elsewhere, Pokémon cards are still big business. Globally, Pokémon is still the most profitable media franchise of all time, having taken in more than $100 billion in sales over its lifetime. [1] The video game series that spawned the franchise still does major numbers; the Pokémon anime series is ongoing since 1997, having wracked up 1,258 episodes of this writing. On the playing card front, individual cards have sold for incredibly inflated prices. In 2021, notorious YouTube influencer Logan Paul bought a rare “Pikachu Illustrator” card for a whopping $5,275,000. [2] And in Pokémon’s home country of Japan, the spectator and collectors market make these cards highly desirous — enough so that they’ve become the target of theft.
Pokémon cards used to be as cheap as ¥200 ($1.34 USD) for a set of five. But prices are hiking up as the demand rises with adult collectors competing in the market for rare finds. This has resulted in a relentless string of thefts across Japan’s card stores.
