{"rewrite":{"id":"r_a66f75b6db68563780bf356e","clusterId":"c_d23587d64d630dfb8085bd18","slug":"pokemon-center-mega-tokyo-plans-september-reopening-after-stabbing","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo Plans September Reopening After Stabbing","summary":"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.","whyItMatters":"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.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo plans to reopen around September after the March stabbing death of a clerk. Security has been in place since March 27. Other stores added guards near registers. April events across Japan were canceled.","twitterPost":"Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo aims to reopen around September after the March stabbing death of a clerk. Security has been posted since March 27. Other stores added guards near registers. April events were canceled.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro will reopen around September, five months after a fatal stabbing. The store and adjacent Pikachu Sweets café have been closed since March 26. Security guards have been stationed at the venue since the day after the attack.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-05-29/pokemon-center-mega-tokyo-plans-to-reopen-in-september-after-march-stabbing-incident/.237941\",\"title\":\"Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo Plans to Reopen in September After March Stabbing Incident\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3937,"outputTokens":569,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1781053536,"createdAt":"2026-06-10T00:55:54.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-06-10T01:00:33.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-10T01:00:33.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_d23587d64d630dfb8085bd18","canonicalTitle":"News\nPokémon Center Mega Tokyo Plans to Reopen in September After March Stabbing Incident","representativeArticleId":"a_97a5c91b2ab9e88249bc1496","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Pokémon\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-29T19:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-29T19:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-10T01:00:33.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-05-29/pokemon-center-mega-tokyo-plans-to-reopen-in-september-after-march-stabbing-incident/.237941","title":"News\nPokémon Center Mega Tokyo Plans to Reopen in September After March Stabbing Incident"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Pokémon"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro's Sunshine City will reopen around September.","The store closed on March 26 after a stabbing killed 21-year-old part-time clerk Moe Harukawa.","Security guards have been stationed at the Mega Tokyo location since March 27.","Other Pokémon Centers have added security guards near registers.","Nearly all in-store events across 16 Pokémon Center locations were canceled for April."]}