A 27-year-old man in Japan has been arrested over a Nintendo HQ bomb threat after letters sent to the company’s Kyoto headquarters claimed explosives had been planted there, according to KTV.
Police took the man, who lives in Hekinan City in Aichi Prefecture, into custody on May 12 on suspicion of sending threats to Nintendo. The case has the grim modern rhythm of entertainment news: beloved company, alarming message, police search, no explosives found. Not exactly the kind of tension anyone ordered.
What the threatening letters said
The envelope arrived at Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto on March 13. Inside were messages that included: “I’m going to blow you all up” and “My plans can not be thwarted.”
One message also claimed the sender had “already planted multiple bombs” inside the building.
After the threats were received, Nintendo’s business operations were disrupted. Police searched both the headquarters and the surrounding area, but found no evidence of explosives.
What police know so far
Since his arrest, the suspect has reportedly admitted to the offense. Investigators are still looking into what motivated the threats.
Authorities have not reported finding any bombs, and no connection has been announced between this case and earlier threats aimed at Nintendo events.
Nintendo has faced similar threats before
Nintendo has dealt with this kind of disruption in recent years. The company canceled the Splatoon Koshien National Finals in 2023 and Nintendo Live 2024 in Tokyo after another 27-year-old man threatened the events.
That man was later arrested in April 2024. At this stage, there is nothing to suggest the two incidents are related.
For fans, the practical result is familiar and frustrating: public events and company operations can be thrown off by threats long before investigators determine whether there is any real physical danger. In this case, police say their search found no explosives, but the disruption had already happened.
