Overview

• Fumihiro Otobe, a 58-year-old businessman, was convicted by the Kochi District Court for modifying and selling Nintendo Switch consoles bundled with pirated games.
• Otobe was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for three years, and fined 500,000 yen (approximately $3,500 USD).
• This marks the first legal action in Japan against an individual for modifying and selling Nintendo Switch consoles.
• The modified consoles, sold for about $195 each, were equipped with modchips and bundled with 27 pirated games, making them a cheaper alternative to new consoles.
• Otobe's sentencing is considered lenient compared to harsher penalties in similar global cases, such as Gary Bowser's, which involved significant prison time and multimillion-dollar fines.