Following an incident at the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo store in the Sunshine City building of Higashi-Ikebukuro, Tokyo, The Pokémon Company announced that the store will be closed indefinitely for the time being. According to the official notice, this is to ensure the company can “prioritize full cooperation with the police and the physical and mental well-being of the staff.”
The incident took place on Thursday, when a man armed with two knives fatally stabbed a female employee at the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo store before taking his own life. At the time of the incident, the shop was full of customers and children on spring break, who fled the area in shock (source: Asahi Shimbun).
Last December, Japanese police received complaints from the victim (a 21-year-old woman) over alleged stalking (source: NHK World Japan). The man in question (also in his 20s) turned out to be the victim’s ex-boyfriend and was arrested on suspicion of violating Japan’s Stalking Regulation Act. He was rearrested in January on allegations of voyeurism and was issued a restraining order after being released. Despite this, he entered the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo and stabbed the victim.
The Pokémon Company is currently working with the authorities to assist in the investigation.
