Yuji Naka receives 4-year suspended sentence for insider trading (UPDATE)

UPDATE: We’ve learned that this involves a 4-year suspended sentence, during which time Naka will be on probation. This means it’s likely Naka won’t actually serve any time in prison, so long as he stays out of trouble with the law during those four years. Thanks to Cheesemeister3K for the update on this, and you can see our original report below.

Back in late 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka was arrested twice on suspicion of insider trading at Square Enix. According to reports, Naka was using early information about upcoming games/collaborations to buy stock and make a quick buck. Back in March, Naka confirmed these suspicions.

During a trial with the Tokyo District Court, Naka admitted to insider trading, which violates Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Naka had traded $1 million in stocks while being employed by Square Enix. Specifically, Naka said there was ‘no doubt’ he knew details about upcoming games before they were shared publicly, and used that information to benefit financially.

Today we’ve learned that Yuji Naka has officially been sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and four years probation. Along with that comes two separate fines that amount to roughly $1.25 million.