What was the first Pokémon TCG set released in Japan called?

The first Pokémon Trading Card Game set released in Japan was called the 1st Starter & Expansion Pack. It was released on October 20, 1996, several months after the first Pokémon video games.

The set is commonly treated as the Japanese equivalent of the English Pokémon Base Set, although the names and release history differ. It introduced cards featuring the original generation of Pokémon and established the basic structure of decks, Energy cards, attacks, and Pokémon battles.

In the United States, the corresponding Base Set arrived on January 9, 1999, with Wizards of the Coast handling production. This difference in naming can cause confusion: Base Set is the familiar English name, while 1st Starter & Expansion Pack identifies the original Japanese release. The TCG was developed by Creatures Inc.