Sonic The Hedgehog Co-Creator Yuji Naka Gets Suspended Prison Sentence For Insider Trading

Yuji Naka, the Sonic the Hedgehog creator who was also convicted of insider trading has received a sentence with suspended jail time.

This news comes to us from IGN (via IGN JapanThe 57-year old was found guilty by the Tokyo District Court on July 7, of insider trading and violating Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Naka received a sentence of two and a half years in prison, suspended for a period of four years. The court also imposed two fines: 2 million and 170,000,000 yen ($14,000 and $1.11 million). 

It is about one month since the last sentencing. Abema Times Reports in June stated that Naka’s case was being prosecuted by prosecutors who wanted him to serve two years, six months in prison and pay fines worth $1.2million. Naka’s defence asked for a reduction in the fine and sentence. Final verdict was delivered on 7 July in Japan. 

Naka who directed Balan Wonderworld was arrested on November 18th in relation to an Insider Trading investigation that focused around the new Dragon Quest mobile game. Naka is accused of buying 10,000 shares in Aiming worth approximately $20,000 (2.8 million yen). Aiming produces the new Dragon Quest mobile game. 

Naka’s arrest was made less than a week later on another charge of insider dealing. This time, it involved the defunct mobile game Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier. Naka was charged with purchasing shares of Ateam (the developer behind the title) for around 144.7million yen ($1 million). 

Naka was officially charged with insider trading and has been sentenced. 

[Source: IGN via IGN Japan]