A notice informing people about a lack of “Black Myaku-Myaku” merchandise is seen at the official Expo store in Osaka’s Konohana Ward on Aug. 6, 2025. (Mainichi/Yosuke Tsuyuki)
OSAKA — Three university students from Tokyo arrested in connection with the theft of a large number of items of the Osaka Expo’s official character Myaku-Myaku from the Expo venue have additionally come under suspicion of traveling to western Japan’s Kansai area by bullet train without paying the fare, investigative sources told the Mainichi Shimbun on Aug. 12.
Additionally, when entering the Expo venue, the three students, aged between 20 and 22, are suspected of having presented junior tickets for those aged between 12-17, which are cheaper than the regular adult tickets, investigative sources said.
The three are accused of shoplifting the merchandise with the intent to resell the items, and Osaka Prefectural Police suspect that they may have skipped transportation costs and avoided paying the full admission fee in a bid to maximize their profits.
According to investigative officials, the three students purchased 150-yen (about $1) entrance tickets at Tokyo Station to pass through the ticket gates in late June, and boarded a shinkansen bullet train without paying for a limited express ticket and regular fare. They allegedly disembarked at Shin-Kobe Station and somehow managed to pass through the ticket gates, then apparently headed to the Expo venue. Prefectural police are investigating a possible violation of the Railway Operation Act.
The students were arrested on suspicion of shoplifting over 100 items including stuffed Myaku-Myaku toys from the official store at the Expo venue. Two of the students have already been indicted.
The two indicted students were quoted as telling police that they stole the items with intent to resell them. Among the stolen items were limited edition products, such as the “Black Myaku-Myaku,” which has become difficult to obtain.
Prefectural police believe the suspects targeted items that could be resold at high prices and repeatedly shoplifted within the venue, and they are investigating the involvement of other individuals.
(Japanese original by Tomoe Saito and Yosuke Tsuyuki, Osaka City News Department)
AloJapan.com