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Man Arrested for Printing, Selling Evangelion, Haruhi Stickers in Akiba
posted on by Egan Loo
Police arrested a 45-year-old man for possessing stickers of popular anime, allegedly produced without authorization, with the intent to sell them in Tokyo's Akihabara (Akiba) shopping district. Police seized over 1,000 stickers of Evangelion, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and other anime and games, and they are continuing their investigation further.
The suspect is part-time worker Susumu Miyamoto from Sumida Ward. According to the investigation, he possessed 53 stickers of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, and other franchises with the intent to sell them at a garage in an Akihabara building last October. He allegedly printed images downloaded off the Internet with his home printer, pasted them onto IC transaction cards, and sold each card for 500 yen (about US$4).
The police searched the garage and confiscated over 1,000 stickers with over 30 popular anime and game characters. According to the investigation, the suspect admitted to the charges, saying, "I began selling these about three years ago and earned about 2 million yen (US$17,000). Since it's Akihabara, I thought it was allowed."
Sources: NHK, FNN via Hachima Kikō