Danica Davidson
June 5, 2023 
Pokémon cards can go for a lot of money, and unfortunately as a result there is a problem with people stealing them, including from stores. A 25-year-old man in Tokyo just got arrested for allegedly swiping Pokémon cards worth 2.2 million yen (approximately $15,738) from a shop in Yamanashi Prefecture. A single card among the ones stolen could be sold for 180,000 yen (US$1,288).
On May 8, in the middle of the night, someone broke into The Card Shop Mero store and removed 74 cards. No one was in the store at the time, so no one got hurt. The store put out the alert of what happened, and authorities took a look at security camera footage. This led police to arresting the suspect, Yūki Murakami, a resident of the Ōta ward in Tokyo.
Murakami has confessed to the crime, and said this wasn’t the only store where he’s stolen Pokémon cards. It was his intention to sell them. Police nabbed more Pokémon cards from his home and are looking to see if they can tie Murakami to other incidents.
Just last month Otaku USA reported on someone stealing 6.5 million yen (approximately $48,000) worth of Pokémon cards from a store in Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture. Since Murakami has confessed to stealing from multiple stores, police are probably trying to see if he was involved with this case or if it was another thief. The manager of that store has previously told the press, “It’s unfortunate, and I feel angry at the culprit, but for now I will do my best to reopen the shop as soon as possible.”
One store in Japan even makes a point of only selling certain Pokémon cards to children to avoid adults buying them for scalping reasons. Whether or not this works has yet to be seen.
Source: ANN
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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