Pokémon Restricts 30th Anniversary TCG Sets to Japanese Residents

The Pokémon Company has implemented strict identity verification for high-demand Trading Card Game (TCG) products on its official Japanese online store. The move effectively restricts the purchase of specific 30th Anniversary collectibles to Japanese citizens and residents to combat rampant scalping.

To complete a purchase, buyers must now verify their identity using the Japanese government's Digital Identification App in conjunction with a "My Number" card, a government-issued plastic IC-chip card. This requirement applies to several premium releases: the Mega 30th Celebration Futuristic Box (27,500 Yen), the Mega 30th Celebration Card Set (10,800 Yen), the Mega Expansion Pack 30th Celebration Box (7,200 Yen), and the Mega 30th Celebration Espeon and Umbreon Premium Deck Set (6,200 Yen).

The War on Scalping

This escalation follows a period of intense market volatility where limited-edition sets are frequently bought in bulk and resold at inflated prices. The "scalping epidemic" has plagued various high-profile intellectual properties, including One Piece merchandise and Disney's Lorcana. The Pokémon Company has previously attempted to curb this behavior in physical locations, implementing facial recognition scans at select Japanese card stores for customers above elementary school age.

In July, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa signaled that the company would take active measures to address these widespread distribution issues. Furukawa stated that Nintendo communicates with The Pokémon Company to discuss appropriate delivery methods, noting, "We believe that The Pokémon Company will continue to take measures to respond to this issue."

Industry Implications

This shift represents a significant escalation in retail restrictions. While most companies rely on simple per-customer purchase limits, The Pokémon Company is now leveraging government-level identity infrastructure to break the supply chain for international scalpers. By creating a hard barrier for anyone without a Japanese residency card, the company is prioritizing domestic fan access over global availability.

However, the move creates a significant hurdle for legitimate international collectors who do not reside in Japan. While it may reduce the volume of cards hitting the secondary market at exorbitant prices, it effectively closes the official primary market to a global audience.

What to Watch

It remains to be seen if this digital ID requirement will be expanded to other product lines or if other gaming giants will adopt similar government-linked verification systems to protect their ecosystems. For now, international collectors must rely on third-party vendors, though the restricted supply from the official store is expected to tighten the availability of these 30th Anniversary sets worldwide.