Reiwa 7 (Wa) No. 8 Forcible Obstruction of Business Case

In January 2025, a 25-year-old male company employee from Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, sent an email threatening to commit a mass stabbing at a planned "Dragon Quest Walk" real-world event in Nagoya. Square Enix immediately canceled the event and reported the threat to the police. The Aichi Prefectural Police arrested the man on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business. The incident disrupted the company's operations and raised alarms about fan harassment. The case was tried under case number Reiwa 7 (Wa) No. 8 at the Nagoya District Court. The defendant admitted to the charges, stating he was frustrated with the game's management.

In July 2025, the Nagoya District Court sentenced the defendant to 18 months in prison, suspended for 3 years, recognizing the seriousness of causing a major event cancellation.

The main legal dispute was whether the defendant's online threat, despite being a single email, constituted the crime of forcible obstruction of business, and how to balance freedom of expression with the protection of corporate activities against criminal intimidation.

The case prompted widespread discussion in Japan about strengthening security measures for public events and combating online harassment targeting companies. Many game publishers reviewed their threat response protocols, and it became a landmark case for applying the forcible obstruction of business law to online threats against corporate events.