Japan mandates ID verification for Pokémon TCG sales

The Pokémon Company has introduced identity‑verification requirements for certain Pokémon Trading Card Game products sold through the Pokémon Center Online store. Buyers must link Japan’s government‑issued My Number Card to the Digital Identification App to purchase items from the 30th‑anniversary Celebration series, including the Mega Expansion Pack, Futuristic Box, Espeon and Umbreon Premium Deck, and Card Set. The measure, announced by Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa at the company’s annual shareholders meeting, follows earlier facial‑recognition checks at select Pokémon Card Gym stores and is intended to curb speculative resale by limiting purchases to Japanese citizens and eligible foreign residents registered in Japan. International customers and third‑party resellers are therefore excluded from acquiring these high‑value collector’s items.

The new policy affects four specific products, with prices ranging from about ¥7,200 (US$46) to ¥27,500 (US$174). The Pokémon Company provided instructions for linking the My Number Card to the Digital Identification App, emphasizing that the restriction applies only to the online store and that physical Pokémon Center locations may adopt similar checks in the future.