A Pokémon card game event targeting children and families has sparked controversy after information showed it was scheduled to be held at Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on January 31.

Details of the event briefly appeared on Pokémon's official website before the page was removed amid online criticism.

In a statement issued Friday, The Pokémon Company apologized, explaining that individuals holding official Pokémon Card Game certifications are allowed to submit event listings to its "Pokémon Card Game Trainers Website."

The event, which was inappropriate, should not have been held and was published due to a lapse in the verification process, the statement said.

According to screenshots shared by Chinese netizens on Weibo, a major Chinese social media platform, the event was promoted as a family-friendly activity centered on the Pokémon Card Game, a franchise with a large child and youth audience.

The event was applied for by Japanese Pokémon Card Game players, according to publicly available information. One applicant later said on X that the event had been "forced to cancel" and removed the notice from his page.

Although the event was reportedly organized by third-party players rather than the company itself, the listing's appearance on the official website raised questions over platform review procedures.

The incident quickly attracted tens of millions of views on Chinese social media platforms. Many users expressed concern over the association of a children-oriented entertainment activity with Yasukuni Shrine, a site widely regarded as a symbol of Japan's wartime militarism, as it honors 14 Class-A war criminals convicted after World War Two.

The Pokémon Company said in its statement that the listing information was promptly removed once the issue was identified, the event was canceled, and review procedures would be strengthened.

The controversy is not unprecedented. In 2016, the mobile game Pokémon Go designated Yasukuni Shrine as an in-game gym, triggering criticism. In 2019, employees from Creatures Inc., a major Pokémon developer, were reported to have posted images of visits to the shrine, which also drew public backlash in China and South Korea at the time.