China’s Pokémon Craze Is Stirring an Anti-Foreigner Backlash in Japan
What began as a Happy Meal promotion ended in chaos and xenophobic outrage, revealing Japan’s growing tensions over immigration and tourism.
Visitors take pictures of a 10-meter glass and steel Pikachu in Shanghai.
Photographer: Xing Yun/Costfoto/Barcroft Media/Getty ImagesAcross Japan, McDonald’s stores were packed with annoyed and impatient customers. The chain’s Happy Meal promotion — bundling a Pokémon toy with two exclusive trading cards — had triggered a frenzy. Outlets were overcrowded, many sold out in a single day, and photos on social media showed discarded bags of untouched burgers and fries left on tables and even dumped on the streets.
The chaos was fueled by resellers buying meals solely for the cards, which could fetch up to 100 times their original value in China. A booming Chinese market for such collectibles has spawned a network of scalpers, who snap up items as soon as they go on sale, inflating prices and breeding resentment.