Japanese man arrested for selling thousands of dollars worth of hacked Pokémon

Yoshihiro Yamakawa, a 36 year old interior designer from the Kyoto Prefecture in Japan, was arrested on April 9th on suspicion of modifying data in Pokémon Violet in order to sell hacked Pokémon online. Between December 2022 and March 2023, the suspect allegedly advertised his illegitimate Pokémon via a website meant for buying and selling items and accounts for video games, and even took custom orders for Shinies and other difficult-to-obtain Pokémon. Modifying save data and providing services that circumvent technological limitations of certain hardware are acts that are illegal in Japan under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.

Kochi Prefectural Police state the suspect was using software he downloaded for free from the Internet to illegally modify data, though they lack the specialized knowledge and skills to investigate it further. Yoshihiro Yamakawa was allegedly selling each hacked Pokémon for up to ¥13,000 (about $85 USD) each, leading police to estimate his total sales to be in the millions of yen. While the police investigation is ongoing, the suspect admitted to selling hacked Pokémon, stating, “I did it to earn a living.”