Overview

• Osaka Prefectural Police announced on Sept. 9 the arrest of 22-year-old university student Choi Ji-won on suspicion of violating the Trademark Act.
• Officers visiting his Osaka home on Sept. 8 found three T-shirts bearing the mascot and official Expo logo allegedly held for sale and made an on-the-spot arrest.
• The suspect told investigators he began selling in June, moved about 100 shirts via flea-market apps, and cleared roughly ¥100,000 in profit.
• Detectives bought samples from online listings and confirmed the items were counterfeit with the Patent Office and the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition before tracing the seller.
• Police are investigating the source of the merchandise and whether others were involved.