Employee Fatally Stabbed at Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, Store Closes
Moe Harukawa, 21, was fatally stabbed at the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo register by her ex-boyfriend, who had been under a restraining order weeks before the attack.
Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo was at capacity during Japan's spring school break when Taiki Hirokawa, 26, stepped inside just after 7:15 p.m. on March 26 and fatally stabbed part-time worker Moe Harukawa, 21, at the sales register. Both were later pronounced dead, and the flagship Pokémon retail location on the second floor of Ikebukuro's Sunshine City complex has been closed since.
Hirokawa was Harukawa's ex-boyfriend. He had spent roughly 15 minutes observing the store from outside before entering, pushing behind the counter, and stabbing Harukawa multiple times before turning the knife on himself. Witnesses, including families with children present for the holiday period, placed emergency calls to police. Both were transported to hospital unconscious.
Harukawa had filed a stalking complaint against Hirokawa in December 2025. Officers who escorted her home at the time encountered him nearby and arrested him on suspicion of violating Japan's anti-stalking law; a fruit knife and footage filmed without her consent were subsequently found linked to him. He was rearrested in January on voyeurism allegations, summarily indicted, fined 800,000 yen, and released on January 30 after a restraining order was issued. Police also advised Harukawa to consider changing jobs.
Japan recorded a record number of stalking cases in 2025, with restraining orders issued against suspects surpassing 3,000 for the first time. Critics of the current legal framework say it focuses too heavily on encouraging victims to alter their own circumstances rather than placing the burden of monitoring and restriction on suspects. The Pokémon Center attack has sharpened that debate in national media in the days since.
The Pokémon Company announced the closure of Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo and its adjacent Pikachu Sweets venue immediately after the incident. The company's official statement said the locations would be "temporarily closed until further notice, prioritizing our full cooperation with the police and the physical and mental well-being of our staff," with a promise to provide reopening timing when available. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's investigation, including a review of whether prior anti-stalking measures were adequate, remains active and no reopening date has been set.
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