Pokémon Japan to Require Government ID for TCG Purchases to Combat Scalping

Pokémon Japan is set to introduce one of its strictest anti-scalping measures yet, requiring government-issued My Number Card ID verification for select Pokémon Trading Card Game purchases in Japan. The system will begin rolling out around August 2026 and will apply to high-demand products sold through Pokémon Center Online lotteries, as well as certain official events and registration systems.

The move effectively restricts access to Japanese residents and long-term foreign residents, marking a significant tightening of purchasing eligibility for international collectors.

My Number Card Verification System Explained

Under the new system, customers will be required to verify their identity using Japan’s My Number Card, a government-issued identification system.

Verification will be conducted via smartphone NFC scanning through an approved external service. This process links the user’s identity to their Pokémon Player Club account, enabling eligibility checks for purchases and lotteries.

The company has stated that it will not directly store personal data, despite requiring government ID verification to access select products.

Targeted Products and Event Restrictions

The policy will not apply to all Pokémon products, but rather to select high-demand Trading Card Game releases and official event registrations.

This includes lottery-based purchase systems on Pokémon Center Online, which have traditionally been used to manage oversubscribed product launches.

The company has not yet confirmed the full list of affected products, pricing tiers, or whether additional categories beyond TCG items may eventually be included.

Building on Earlier Anti-Scalping Measures

This is not the first time Japan’s Pokémon retail ecosystem has introduced stricter access controls.

In earlier releases, The Pokémon Company implemented phone number verification requirements for select Pokémon Center Japan purchases, including high-demand sets such as Heat Wave Arena. These measures were designed to reduce bulk buying and resale-driven purchases.

Retailers outside official channels have also experimented with unconventional controls. Some stores have introduced purchase tracking through loyalty apps to monitor buying frequency, while others have taken a more unusual approach.

Quiz-Based Store Checks and Other Retail Experiments

In one widely reported case, a Tokyo retailer required customers to pass a Pokémon knowledge quiz before purchasing trading cards. Shoppers were asked to correctly identify Pokémon species, with staff using the test to distinguish genuine fans from scalpers.

Similar strategies have appeared elsewhere in Japan’s collectible market, including limits on purchase quantities, removal of resale-friendly packaging, and stricter enforcement of “no resale” policies at point of sale.

Why Japan Is Tightening Access to Pokémon Cards

The growing demand for Pokémon TCG products has led to repeated shortages, with new releases often selling out within minutes and quickly appearing on resale markets at inflated prices.

Retailers and publishers have increasingly shifted toward eligibility-based systems rather than simple first-come-first-served sales, aiming to prioritize players and collectors over resellers.

While these measures may reduce accessibility for some buyers, they reflect a broader attempt to stabilize supply and maintain fairness within the competitive trading card ecosystem.

What Happens Next

Nintendo and The Pokémon Company are expected to release further details closer to implementation, including the exact rollout timeline, full authentication process, and any additional eligibility rules.

For now, the direction of travel is clear: access to high-demand Pokémon Trading Card Game products in Japan is becoming increasingly regulated, with government ID verification marking a major escalation in anti-scalping enforcement.

Since Pokémon Japan announced the requirements for Government ID, many other fans of other countries and wishing for their local Pokémon  stores to implement a similar rule.