UFO Catchers turn 40 and claw machines still have a hold on Japan

TOKYO – Crane games, claw machines, or UFO Catchers. Call them what you will, but these brightly lit consoles offering the promise of a prize, through a delicate dance of claw and chance, are undoubtedly the crown jewels of Japan’s game arcades.

Mr Mitsuharu Fukazawa, 56, knows these machines inside out. The self-professed crane game geek goes by “UFO Catcher Artisan” on his business card, a nod to the crucial role that he has played in overseeing generations of machines launched by Japanese gaming giant Sega, best known for the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog.

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