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Man Arrested for Bomb Threats Against Nintendo Headquarters in Kyoto
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A 27-year-old unemployed man from Hekinan City, Aichi Prefecture has been arrested after admitting to sending bomb threats to Nintendo's corporate headquarters in Kyoto, with the first threatening envelope arriving at the company's Minami Ward building on March 13. The envelope contained messages reading "I'm going to blow you all up" and "This plan cannot be stopped," and the threats disrupted Nintendo's business operations. The suspect claimed to have already planted multiple bombs across the building, prompting a search of Nintendo's headquarters and surrounding area by police — no evidence of explosives was found. The man was taken into custody on May 12 and has admitted to the threats, though police are still working to establish a motive. The timing of the arrest comes days after Nintendo announced a $50 price increase for the Switch 2 beginning September 1, a decision driven by the ongoing DRAM shortage crisis, though no confirmed connection between the price announcement and the threats has been established.
This is not the first time Nintendo has been targeted with bomb threats. In 2024, a separate 27-year-old defendant appeared in court for making bomb threats that disrupted Nintendo Live Tokyo 2024 and the Splatoon 3 Koshien 2023 National Finals — that suspect cited frustration with Splatoon 3's gameplay and attributed their in-game losses to Nintendo's design choices as their motive. The two cases are unrelated, but the pattern of threats against the company from individuals acting alone reflects a broader phenomenon of gaming frustration escalating into serious criminal behavior. Nintendo has confirmed it is continuing game development for the Switch 2 without disruption, and President Shuntaro Furukawa has indicated additional price adjustments to the Switch 2 lineup may follow throughout 2026 and 2027 as component costs remain elevated.
