A 32-year-old man was arrested in Fukuoka Prefecture on Wednesday, accused of stealing Pokemon cards collected by his former boss. Takeshi Inoue, whose residence and occupation are unknown, was working for a construction company at the time. He allegedly stole five rare Pokemon cards with a total market value of approximately ¥183,000 (just under $2,000). Included among them was the popular “Pitch Pikachu” card. According to Tagawa Police Station, the theft was discovered in January of this year, shortly after Inoue resigned from the company.
The victim, who runs the construction company where the cards were stolen from, noticed the loss and called 110. Subsequent investigations revealed the suspect sold them to a card dealer. They were then reportedly distributed at a J-League event. Inoue admitted to the charges, stating, “I sold them to cover living expenses.” Tagawa Police Station reported that a total of 37 cards are missing. It plans to continue with the investigation, including looking into other possible crimes.
About Pokemon Cards
Pokemon cards have been around for nearly three decades, yet continue to capture the imagination of both children and adults. They are collectible trading cards featuring characters and creatures from the famous franchise. A 60-card deck for the Pokemon Trading Card Game (TCG) is the standard. There is an option of buying a pre-built 60-card deck, known as a Battle Deck, or people can build their own collection from scratch.
In recent years, certain cards have become expensive due to a combination of high demand, low supply and market manipulation. Resellers and scalpers have taken advantage of the situation with inflated prices, particularly for intentionally short-printed rare cards and limited production runs for particular sets. In 2021, a Pikachu Illustrator Card sold at auction for $5.275 million, making it the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold.
