The suspect said in the letter that he had placed multiple bombs across the Nintendo offices.
Nintendo has once again found themselves dealing with a serious security threat, after Japanese police arrested a man accused of sending a bomb threat to the company’s headquarters in Kyoto.
According to Japanese outlet Kyoto Shimbun, the Kyoto Prefectural Police Minami Station arrested a 27-year-old unemployed man from Ishibashi-cho in Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture, on 12 May. Authorities suspect him of obstructing business operations by force, after allegedly mailing a threatening document to Nintendo headquarters in Kyoto Prefecture.
Why did the perpetrator give Nintendo a bomb threat?
The perpetrator did not give a specific reason for the bomb threat for now. However, the police said the suspect sent an envelope to Nintendo’s headquarters in Minami Ward, Kyoto City, in March. The document reportedly contained the message: “I will blow you all up. I have already planted numerous bombs at Nintendo Co., Ltd.”
Nintendo received the envelope on 16 March and immediately contacted authorities. Officers later searched the surrounding area but found no suspicious objects or injured people. The police are still investigating the suspect’s motive.
According to Kyoto Shimbun, the suspect has admitted to the charges. While no explosives were discovered, the threat still disrupted operations at one of gaming’s biggest companies. Incidents like these are treated seriously in Japan, especially after previous threats forced Nintendo to alter event plans and increase security measures.
Nintendo threat incidents have happened before
This is not the first time Nintendo has faced threats tied to public events and operations.
Back in 2023, 27-year-old Kenshin Kazama from Hitachi, Japan, allegedly made repeated threats to “kill everyone involved” at upcoming Nintendo events over a four-month period. The threats eventually led to the postponement of Nintendo Live 2024 and the Splatoon Koshien 2023 National Finals in December 2023. Kazama was later sentenced to one year in prison with a four-year suspended sentence.
AloJapan.com