Japan houses hundreds of Pokemon Centers across the country, and among the biggest ones is the Mega Store at Ikebukuro, which sees hundreds of visitors each day. On the evening of March 26, 2026, Thursday, a female store clerk working the till at the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo store in Ikebukuro was fatally stabbed by a man in his 20s.
Trigger Warning: This article contains references to violence and a fatal incident that some readers may find distressing.
Pokemon Center Tokyo Stabbing Results in Two Deaths
According to the Sugamo Police Station in Tokyo and Japanese news outlet Jiji, the Pokemon Center Mega Store was open during the time of the incident and was busy and sprawling with customers.
The assailant entered alone, approached a female employee behind the counter, and stabbed her numerous times in the neck with a knife-like object, and then later stabbed himself in the neck. The police received an emergency call at approx 7:15 PM JST. Both the assailant and the victim were pronounced dead at the hospital.
As the official investigation is underway, the investigators say the police are believed to have received prior inquiries related to both individuals as they investigate the case on suspicion of murder.
Furthermore, a company employee in his 30s who was shopping at the store during the time of the incident said the store was sprawling with over 100 customers, which included tourists as well as families with children.
He then described hearing screams of “Run Away!” and “Help!” and said he couldn’t believe something like that had happened. A video on X regarding the incident and the chaos that ensued is being circulated and shows the panic among visitors escaping the scene.
Pokemon Company Issues Statement Over Mega Center Tokyo Stabbing Incident
Shortly after, The Pokemon Company Japan took to their website and social media and issued a statement on the incident and announced a temporary shutdown of the Mega Center store in Ikebukuro.
The statement read (translated from Japanese), “Due to the incident that occurred on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Sunshine City, Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo, we will be temporarily closed until further notice, prioritizing our full cooperation with the police and the physical and mental well-being of our staff.”
“We sincerely apologize for the great concern and inconvenience this has caused everyone. We will inform you again when we will be reopening for business”, the statement concluded.
As of now investigation surrounding the incident is underway by the Metropolitan Police Department of Tokyo, Japan.
