On what date was the original Pokémon Trading Card Game set released in Japan?

The original Pokémon Trading Card Game set was released in Japan on October 20, 1996.

The launch set was known as the 1st Starter & Expansion Pack and served as the Japanese foundation of the Pokémon TCG. It followed the video games’ debut earlier that year and translated Pokémon collecting and battling into a tabletop card system.

The original Japanese release included cards representing the first-generation Pokémon. The game uses Pokémon, Energy, and Trainer cards, with players building decks and battling through attacks, effects, and resource management. Standard decks contain 60 cards.

Collectors often confuse the Japanese launch date with the English Base Set release. The English set reached the United States on January 9, 1999, after an earlier 1998 demo pack. The Japanese launch therefore predates the best-known English release by more than two years. Media Factory originally published the Japanese cards, while Wizards of the Coast handled the early U.S. edition.