Business Daily meets: Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara

Business Daily

BBC

News, Business

4.4 • 796 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2025

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Pokémon started as a hugely successful game for Nintendo’s Gameboy nearly 30 years ago. Since then, it's become a billion-dollar global media brand.

Despite the firm's huge revenue, the Pokémon Company remains private. The firm doesn’t release its historical earnings figures, but some analysts estimate it has sold up to $150 billion worth of products, making it the world’s highest grossing media franchise.

Mariko Oi speaks to Pokémon Company president, Tsunekazu Ishihara, about the firm's successes over the years, and the challenges it faces - like counterfeits and the resale market.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Mariko Oi

(Picture: Pokemon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara welcomes guests during the 2022 Pokémon World Championships at ExCel, London, UK. Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Marie Ko-Oi. Welcome to Business Daily Meets from the BBC World Service.
0:06.7	This is where we speak to interesting people in the world of business from around the globe.
0:11.6	A few months ago, I told you about one of Japan's most loved creations, Hello Kitty.
0:17.2	And today, it's the story of another big character, arguably even bigger.
0:22.4	Hello Kitty is one of the characters for Sanrio, and Super Mario is one of the characters for Nintendo.
0:30.1	But Pokemon is the only thing we do at the Pokemon company.
0:35.2	Yes, Pokemon, which started as a hugely successful game for Nintendo's Game Boy 29 years ago today.
0:42.6	Despite the firm's huge revenue, the company remains private.
0:48.5	If we go public, we have to focus on growing a profitability.
0:52.2	And I investors might ask, are you sure it's okay to just focus on Pokemon?
0:56.0	Or what are you going to do when the popularity
0:58.0	of Pokemon dies down?
1:00.0	Our answer will be, we'll go bust
1:02.0	when Pokemon is no longer popular.
1:04.0	There's no sign of that happening
1:06.0	anytime soon as Pokemonia continues.
1:09.0	But its decision to retire Ash and Pikachu was controversial.
1:17.3	Even though the TV camera might not be following them,
1:20.0	our journey is continuing and his partner Pikachu is right next to him.
1:24.3	That's Tunekazizihara, the president of the Pokemon Company coming up on today's
1:28.5	business daily meets. I'm at one of two dozen Pokemon centers around the world where they sell
1:37.7	toys, stationeries, cars, you name it. Since their birth, their popularity hasn't died down,
	...

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