Overview
- The Pokémon Company will begin mandatory facial‑recognition scans at five temporary Pokémon Card Store pop‑ups starting Friday, July 31, to verify customers before they receive numbered queue tickets.
- Customers aged elementary‑school and older must consent to a face scan to enter or collect a ticket and will be denied entry if they refuse or if the system detects a repeat entry or multiple tickets in one day.
- The system records each person’s facial image data and number of visits for the stated enforcement purpose and the company says the data will be deleted after a limited retention period.
- The rollout is a time‑limited pilot at AEON Mall and PARCO pop‑ups tied to the Storm Emerald release and there is no announced plan to expand the biometric checks to permanent Pokémon Centers or stores outside Japan.
- The facial‑recognition move follows earlier non‑biometric anti‑scalping steps and a separate, still‑developing proposal to use Japan’s My Number ID for some online lotteries and sales, raising fresh privacy and practical questions for shoppers and guardians.