Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo Plans September Reopening After Stabbing
The reopening timeline gives a concrete end to the extended closure of a flagship store after a fatal attack that also led to a month of event cancellations across Japan.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime News Network.
The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro's Sunshine City will reopen around September, following a March stabbing incident that killed a 21-year-old part-time clerk. Security guards have been stationed at the venue since March 27. Other Pokémon Centers remain open with added security near registers.
The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo store and the adjacent Pikachu Sweets café inside Sunshine City have been closed since March 26, when a 21-year-old part-time sales clerk, Moe Harukawa, was stabbed and killed. The suspect, 26-year-old Taiki Hirokawa, also died by self-inflicted stab wounds. Police records show Harukawa had reported stalking by Hirokawa in December, leading to his arrest on anti-stalking charges and again in January for voyeurism. He was released before the attack. Security guards have been present at the Mega Tokyo location since March 27, and other Pokémon Centers have added guards near registers. Nearly all in-store events across 16 Pokémon Center locations were canceled for April, with exceptions for certain Pokémon GO tournaments that operated without spectators or broadcasts.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.