A recent incident in Osaka involved a burglary at a trading card sales company, where thieves stole over 100 trading cards valued at approximately 10 million yen (around $70,000 USD). The break-in occurred at around 3:30 a.m. on September 9, 2024, at an office located in Shimanouchi 1, Chuo-ku, Osaka. Two men tied up the employees present, who were unharmed, and made off with the cards shortly after the company had livestreamed an event. The assailants also took approximately 250,000 yen (about $1,740 USD) in cash and two smartphones from the office. The Osaka Prefectural Police are currently investigating the robbery.

This incident is part of a broader trend of trading card thefts in Japan, driven by the high resale value of rare cards, particularly Pokémon cards.

Source: NHK News Web, Tokyo Shimbun