Which company published the first Pokémon Trading Card Game set in Japan?

Media Factory published the first Pokémon Trading Card Game set in Japan. The company released the initial cards on October 20, 1996, several months after the original Game Boy games launched.

The Japanese card game was developed by Creatures Inc. and drew inspiration from the growing collectible-card-game format. Media Factory became involved as a distributor and publisher during the project’s early development, helping the cards reach Japanese retailers.

The first release is associated with the Japanese first Starter and Expansion Pack. It contained cards based on the original generation of Pokémon and established the card types, attacks, Energy system, and collecting structure that later versions expanded.

Media Factory should not be confused with Wizards of the Coast, which published the English-language Pokémon TCG in the United States beginning in 1999. The Pokémon Company became the principal publisher in later years, but it was not the publisher of the original Japanese set.