Nintendo is once again dealing with a serious security issue after Japanese police arrested a man accused of sending bomb threats to the company’s headquarters in Kyoto. Authorities in Kyoto confirmed the arrest of a 27-year-old unemployed man from Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture, on May 12.
The man is being investigated on suspicion of forced obstruction of business, a Japanese legal charge commonly used in cases involving serious threats, harassment, or actions that disrupt company operations.
The situation reportedly began on March 16, when Nintendo received several threatening letters in the mail. The messages included lines such as “I’m going to blow you all up” and “My plans cannot be thwarted.” The sender also claimed that “multiple bombs” had already been placed around Nintendo’s headquarters.
Because of the threats, police quickly searched the Kyoto offices, but they did not find anything dangerous at the location. According to investigators, the suspect has admitted to sending the threats, although police are still trying to understand the exact reason behind his actions and whether there was a specific reason for targeting Nintendo. As we get more information and the case develops further, we’ll make sure to keep you updated.
It’s also worth noting that this follows a similar case from April 2024, when another 27-year-old man was arrested and given a one-year suspended prison sentence for sending 39 death threats through Nintendo’s online contact form. That earlier incident forced Nintendo to cancel its Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo event because of safety concerns.
In other Nintendo news, president Shuntaro Furukawa has promised a “robust software lineup” to make the Switch 2 more valuable overall while also apologizing to consumers after confirming that the console’s price will increase by $50 because of rising hardware costs and market conditions. For more Nintendo-related coverage, keep checking GameObserver.
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