Japanese police have arrested a 27-year-old man after bomb threats were sent to Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters.
Letters containing threats such as “I’m going to blow you all up” and warnings that someone had “already planted multiple bombs” were reportedly received by Nintendo back in March.
Nintendo reported the messages at the time, prompting a search for explosives. Thankfully, the incident appears to have been a hoax.
Nintendo’s corporate headquarters in Kyoto, Japan. Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.
Now, KTV News (via Automaton) has reported that an unemployed man from the city of Hekinan has been arrested on the charge of obstructing a business. The man has reportedly since admitted being responsible, though police are still investigating a possible motive.
The incident brings to mind the threat of violence which saw Nintendo Live 2024 scrapped over safety fears. At the time, Nintendo apologized to fans who had planned to attend the event, which would have also hosted the Splatoon 3 World Championships, saying it had received “persistent threats targeting our employees” that had recently also “spread to spectators.”
A 27-year-old man was later arrested — also for obstruction of business — and given a one-year suspended sentence. It was claimed that he had sent dozens of threats via an online Nintendo feedback form, saying he would “kill the people at the venue” and make Nintendo “regret releasing such a crappy game to the world” — something believed to refer to Splatoon 3.
Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
