"What Is Pokemon Cards?" Japanese Duo Thieves Clean Out Store in 2 Minutes

Stealing 350 Pokemon Cards Only, Leaving Cash Behind
Each Worth Billions... Nationwide Theft Rampant

A theft incident involving a duo stealing an entire Pok?mon card store in Japan has drawn attention. In the case of rare cards, some are valued at tens of millions of won per card, and Pok?mon cards have emerged not just as toys but as speculative assets, leading to frequent thefts nationwide.

The scene of a store that suffered theft damage. It appears that only high-value Pok?mon cards were taken. (Photo by ANN)

On the 25th, Mainichi Shimbun reported that on the morning of the 19th, 350 Pok?mon cards worth 13 million yen (180 million won) were stolen from a trading card shop in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, prompting a police investigation.

Security cameras (CCTV) at the store captured two thieves wearing headlights breaking into the shop around 1 a.m., smashing the display case glass with a crowbar, and putting cards into a bag. The two stole hundreds of cards within two minutes of breaking in. They did not touch the cash or other items in the store, stealing only the cards. Among the stolen cards were high-value items worth up to 550,000 yen (4.97 million won) each.

ANN reported that this incident was likely planned well in advance. The card shop owner stated, "Last summer, the police warned us after checking the belongings of Pok?mon card thieves caught in another prefecture, revealing they had our store’s floor plan and card layout."

In fact, the thieves caught on CCTV appeared to inspect the display cases carefully, saying, "This is it. I'll take this one." The owner added, "They only broke the shelves where the high-priced cards were placed. It seems they ignored the lower-priced cards around them."

The appearance of thieves captured on the store's security camera (CCTV). (Photo by ANN)

After news spread that the store had become a target, the shop contracted a security company and took measures such as storing cards worth over 1 million yen (9.05 million won) in a safe, but ultimately could not prevent the theft.

As the popularity of Pok?mon cards rises in Japan, such thefts are occurring nationwide. Since rare cards trade for hundreds of millions of won, they have effectively become investment products. This has even led to the emergence of "Pok?mon card resellers" who buy and sell cards for financial gain. In fact, last year there were two Pok?mon card theft incidents in Tokyo alone, with others occurring across the country in Yamanashi, Saga, Okayama, Kumamoto Prefectures, and more.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.