Man Arrested for Selling Reprogramed Pokémon Cartridges With Monsters Unlocked

According to several Japanese news outlets, the Ishikawa Prefecture’s Kanasawa-Naka Police Station arrested a 32-year old man for Violation of Unfair Competition Prevention Act on December 6. The Yomiuri Shimbun paper reported the man had reprogramed copies of Pokémon games, including Pokémon Sun on Nintendo 3DS. The suspect then allegedly sold the copies online for 5,200 yen (about US$35), advertising that they included “over 800 Pokémon” already caught, including ones exclusively distributed at events, Pokémon for training, and collection Pokémon.

The man was initially arrested for allegedly selling a copy to a male victim from Ishikawa Prefecture on an online market site in May. According to the authorities, the suspect admitted to the charges. Police seized the suspect’s computer and altered Pokémon games from his home. A photo included in the Yomiuri Shimbun article shows copies of Pokémon Platinum, Soul Silver, Black, White, Black 2, White 2, X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Omega Sapphire.

Sources: Yomiuri Shimbun Online website via Livedoor News and via Otakomu, Pokémon‘s website