Nintendo

Quick Take

Nintendo has no U.S. political action committee (PAC, a fund that gives to candidates) [7]. People who list Nintendo or Nintendo of America as their employer gave about 69 percent of their federal donations to Democrats in the 2024 cycle and about 96 percent in the 2020 cycle [8]. Its U.S. lobbying is small, $120,000 a year, focused on copyright, children's online safety and console tariffs [3][9]. Tariffs ran through its 2025 and 2026: it delayed U.S. Switch 2 preorders to assess their effect, raised U.S. prices on older Switch models citing market conditions, and in 2026 its U.S. arm sued the government for refunds [10][11][1]. In Japan, it gives same-sex domestic partners of employees the same benefits as married spouses, though Japanese law does not recognize same-sex marriage [12].

A Small Political Money Footprint

Nintendo does not run a federal PAC. A Federal Election Commission (FEC) search for "Nintendo" returns no committees [7]. Companies cannot give directly to federal candidates, so OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks political money, adds up gifts of $200 or more from people who list a company as their employer [8][9].

For Nintendo, which OpenSecrets groups with Nintendo of America, those totals are modest and lean toward Democrats. In the 2020 cycle, people listing Nintendo gave $65,165, about 96 percent to Democrats [8]. In the 2022 cycle, they gave $11,795, about 97 percent to Democrats [8]. In the 2024 cycle, they gave $40,663, about 69 percent to Democrats and 31 percent to Republicans [8].

The largest 2024 recipient was Kamala Harris's campaign, at $15,509, followed by Movement Voter PAC, a liberal group, at $6,000 [9]. Donald Trump received $791 [9]. All of this came from individuals, not the company [9].

The Lobbying Footprint

Nintendo of America lobbies Washington lightly, mostly on protecting its games. For more than two decades it has listed one outside lobbyist, Donald Massey, whose reports mostly list no amount, or amounts of $10,000 or less [3]. In 2021 it added the firm NVG, LLC [3].

NVG has reported $30,000 a quarter from Nintendo of America in recent years: $120,000 in each of 2022 through 2025, and $90,000 in the first three quarters of 2026 [3]. Its reports list online content protection and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, legal action against foreign-based copyright theft, "General issues related to technology platforms, video games, and users, including children," and "Issues related to tariffs on video game consoles" [3]. OpenSecrets lists S.1409, the Kids Online Safety Act, as the bill Nintendo lobbied on most in the 2023-2024 Congress [9][13].

Nintendo is also listed as a member of the Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry's U.S. trade association [27]. Membership does not mean Nintendo shares every position the group takes.

Tariffs, the Switch 2 and the Refund Fight

Tariffs were Nintendo's main political issue of 2025 and 2026. On April 4, 2025, amid uncertainty over new U.S. tariffs, Nintendo said U.S. preorders for the $449 Switch 2 "will not start April 9, 2025" so it could assess the effect of tariffs and market conditions [10]. At its May 8, 2025 earnings briefing, President Shuntaro Furukawa said, "Our basic policy is to recognize tariffs as a cost when determining the selling price in any country or region," and that Nintendo would "consider and implement any price adjustments" if its tariff assumptions changed significantly [28].

In August 2025, Nintendo raised U.S. prices on the original Switch family, some Switch 2 accessories and select amiibo figures, citing "market conditions" [11]. Retail listings showed the standard Switch rising from $299.99 to $339.99 [11].

In February 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA, an emergency powers law) [1]. The same day, the administration announced a temporary 10 percent global tariff under a different law, Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which limits such tariffs to 150 days [29]. On March 6, 2026, Nintendo of America filed suit at the U.S. Court of International Trade, asking the court to declare the IEEPA duties unlawful and order refunds with interest [1][15]. Its complaint says the IEEPA tariffs "resulted in the collection of more than $200 billion in tariffs on imports from nearly all countries" [15]. Nintendo's suit is one of thousands of similar importer refund cases; in July 2026 the court began entering refund orders case by case across roughly 3,700 pending IEEPA cases [32]. "We can confirm that we have filed a request," Nintendo said, adding that it had nothing else to share [1].

In April 2026, two customers filed a proposed class action against Nintendo of America in federal court in Seattle [2]. They argued Nintendo had no plan to return tariff-related price increases to buyers and "stands to recover the same tariff payments twice" [2]. The plaintiffs, Gregory Hoffert and Prashant Sharan, proposed a class of U.S. buyers of Nintendo goods from February 1, 2025, through February 24, 2026, on which Nintendo raised prices [2][16].

On July 20, 2026, Nintendo of America asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that "Plaintiffs are not entitled to a rebate simply because of intervening legal developments related to tariffs" [17]. It also moved to send Hoffert's claims to private arbitration, saying he had agreed to arbitrate [17]. As of late July 2026, the court had not ruled [18].

Same-Sex Partner Benefits in Japan

Nintendo has taken a visible position on LGBTQ benefits in its home country. Nintendo introduced its Partnership System in Japan in March 2021 [14]. The company says the system "ensures employees who are in a domestic partnership with a same-sex partner have the same benefits as employees in an opposite-sex marriage," even though "same-sex marriages are not currently recognized under Japanese law" [12]. It also treats common-law marriages the same as legal marriages, and its internal rules bar discriminatory comments based on sexual orientation or gender identity [12].

Politics in Japan

Nintendo is a Japanese company, so its record at home matters too. Its published compliance policy says it builds "fair and sound relationships regarding politics (political parties) and administrations (government authorities) inside and outside of Japan," follows internal procedures when making contributions or donations, and does not make "any bribes or illegal political contributions or donations" [19]. The policy does not say whether Nintendo makes political donations in Japan, and this review did not search Japan's political funding reports in depth.

In October 2025, Satoshi Asano, a member of Japan's House of Representatives, posted that Nintendo was lobbying the Japanese government over generative AI. Nintendo replied that it "has not had any contact with the Japanese government about generative AI," adding, "Whether generative AI is involved or not, we will continue to take necessary actions against infringement of our intellectual property rights." Asano retracted the claim and apologized, writing, "I deeply regret my own failure to verify the facts adequately" [20].

Labor Relations

In April 2022, a contract quality-assurance tester filed a federal labor charge against Aston Carter and Nintendo of America as joint employers, alleging discharge and retaliation for protected activity, along with coercive statements and actions [24]. The tester, Mackenzie Clifton, said they were reprimanded by an Aston Carter manager after asking then-Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser about unionization at a company meeting; Nintendo said Clifton was fired for revealing confidential information [25]. The charge closed with a settlement agreement in October 2022 [24]. Axios reported the settlement at $26,000 in back pay, interest and damages, and quoted Nintendo as "thankful that a resolution was reached" [25]. A separate charge filed in January 2026 against Nintendo of America and TEKsystems was withdrawn that month [26]. In March 2024, Nintendo of America said it had "reorganized its Product Testing functions," ending some contractor assignments while adding "a significant number of new full-time employee positions"; Kotaku, citing current and former workers, reported that more than 100 contractor jobs were cut [33].

Who Runs Nintendo

Shuntaro Furukawa is Representative Director and President of Nintendo Co., Ltd. [21]. At Nintendo of America, Doug Bowser retired on December 31, 2025, and was succeeded as president by Devon Pritchard, the first woman to lead the U.S. company [30][36].

Nintendo also has a history in American sports. Then-president Hiroshi Yamauchi backed a 1992 purchase of the Seattle Mariners for about $125 million, a goodwill gesture to the region around Nintendo of America's headquarters. In 2016 Nintendo of America sold its majority stake for $661 million and kept 10 percent [31].

Charitable Giving

After the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake in Japan, Nintendo donated 50 million yen through the Japanese Red Cross Society and offered six months of free product repairs in areas covered by Japan's Disaster Relief Act [34].

Where to Find Them

Nintendo Co., Ltd. is headquartered at 11-1 Hokotate-cho, Kamitoba, Minami-ku, Kyoto, Japan [21]. Nintendo of America is headquartered in Redmond, Washington [35]. Nintendo's U.S. website is nintendo.com.

Footnotes

[1] Amanda Silberling, TechCrunch (via Yahoo Finance), "Nintendo sues the US government for a refund on tariffs," March 6, 2026. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nintendo-sues-u-government-refund-223535102.html

[2] Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, The Seattle Times (via Yakima Herald-Republic), "Nintendo of America slapped with lawsuit over tariff refunds," April 22, 2026. https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/northwest/nintendo-of-america-slapped-with-lawsuit-over-tariff-refunds/article_d4d9aa3a-fb29-559a-8ad8-8a067382bff5.html

[3] U.S. Senate Office of Public Records, Lobbying Disclosure Act filings listing Nintendo of America Inc. as client, 2000 to 2026, accessed November 1, 2026. https://lda.gov/api/v1/filings/?client_name=nintendo

[4] Donald Theriault, Nintendo World Report, "Nintendo Announces 2025-26 Fiscal Results And Guidance For 2026-27," May 8, 2026. https://nintendoworldreport.com/news/75489/nintendo-announces-2025-26-fiscal-results-and-guidance-for-2026-27

[5] Nintendo Everything, "Nintendo financial results, May 2026: Switch 2 at 19.86 million units, Switch at 155.92 million, more," May 8, 2026. https://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-financial-results-may-2026-switch-2-at-19-86-million-units-switch-at-155-92-million-more/

[6] Nintendo Co., Ltd., "Consolidated Results for the Years Ended March 31, 2025 and 2026," May 8, 2026. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2026/260508e.pdf

[7] Federal Election Commission, committee search for "nintendo," accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.fec.gov/data/committees/?q=nintendo

[8] OpenSecrets, "Nintendo Co Profile: Totals," all cycles, accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/nintendo-co/totals?cycle=A&id=D000042273

[9] OpenSecrets, "Nintendo Co Profile: Summary," 2024 cycle, accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/nintendo-co/summary?id=D000042273&cycle=2024

[10] Alex Fitzpatrick, Axios, "Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders delayed amid Trump tariff uncertainty," April 4, 2025. https://www.axios.com/2025/04/04/nintendo-switch-2-pre-orders-delay-trump-tarrifs

[11] Chris Scullion, Video Games Chronicle, "Nintendo is increasing the price of Switch in the US this weekend," August 1, 2025. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-is-increasing-the-price-of-switch-in-the-us-this-weekend

[12] Nintendo Co., Ltd., "Employees: Working to build an environment where each and every employee can realize their potential," Sustainability, accessed November 1, 2026. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/sustainability/en-gb/report/employees/topics/index.html

[13] U.S. Government Publishing Office, S. 1409 (118th Congress), Kids Online Safety Act, reported in Senate. https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/BILLS-118s1409rs

[14] Gavin Lane, Nintendo Life, "Nintendo Formally Acknowledges Same-Sex Marriage, Despite Japanese Law," July 14, 2022. https://nintendolife.com/news/2022/07/nintendo-formally-acknowledges-same-sex-marriage-despite-japanese-law

[15] U.S. Court of International Trade, Nintendo of America Inc. v. U.S. Department of the Treasury et al., Court No. 1:26-cv-01540, Complaint, filed March 6, 2026. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cit.19627/gov.uscourts.cit.19627.2.0.pdf

[16] U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, Hoffert v. Nintendo of America Inc., No. 2:26-cv-01360, Complaint, filed April 21, 2026. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.wawd.361585/gov.uscourts.wawd.361585.1.0.pdf

[17] Nintendo of America Inc., "Defendant's Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs' Complaint," Hoffert v. Nintendo of America Inc., No. 2:26-cv-01360-RAJ, filed July 20, 2026 (copy posted by Gizmodo). https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/07/Nintendo-Response-to-Class-Action-Lawsuit.pdf

[18] Brett W. Johnson, Derrick Kyle and Thomas Williams, Snell & Wilmer, "Game Over? What Nintendo's Motion to Dismiss Means for Importers Facing Class Actions for Tariff Refunds," July 27, 2026. https://www.swlaw.com/publication/game-over-what-nintendos-motion-to-dismiss-means-for-importers-facing-class-actions-for-tariff-refunds/

[19] Nintendo Co., Ltd., "Governance," Sustainability, accessed November 7, 2026. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/sustainability/en-us/report/governance/index.html

[20] Andy Robinson, Video Games Chronicle, "Nintendo issues surprise denial to Japanese politician's AI claim," October 5, 2025. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-issues-surprise-denial-to-japanese-politicians-ai-claim

[21] Nintendo Co., Ltd., "Company Profile," accessed November 7, 2026. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/corporate/en/outline/index.html

[22] Nintendo Co., Ltd., "Company History," accessed November 7, 2026. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/en/corporate/en/history/index.html

[23] Andy Robinson, Video Games Chronicle, "Nintendo Switch 2 sales have dropped 37%, but it's still comfortably beating the original console," November 5, 2026. https://videogameschronicle.com/news/nintendo-switch-2-sales-have-dropped-37-but-its-still-comfortably-beating-the-original-console

[24] National Labor Relations Board, Case 19-CA-294207, "Aston Carter and Nintendo of America, as joint employers," accessed November 7, 2026. https://www.nlrb.gov/case/19-CA-294207

[25] Axios, "Nintendo settles labor dispute with game tester over unions," October 13, 2022. https://www.axios.com/2022/10/13/nintendo-settles-labor-union-mackenzie-clifton

[26] National Labor Relations Board, Case 19-CA-378433, "Nintendo of America, Inc. and/or Nintendo of America, Inc. and Teksystems Inc., joint employers," accessed November 7, 2026. https://www.nlrb.gov/case/19-CA-378433

[27] Entertainment Software Association, "Members," accessed November 7, 2026. https://theesa.com/members

[28] Peter Glagowski, Nintendo Wire, "Nintendo to consider Switch 2 price changes depending on impact of tariffs," May 8, 2025. https://nintendowire.com/news/2025/05/08/nintendo-to-consider-switch-2-price-changes-depending-on-impact-of-tariffs/

[29] Holland & Knight, "Supreme Court Strikes Down IEEPA Tariffs," February 20, 2026. https://hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/02/supreme-court-strikes-down-ieepa-tariffs

[30] Sal Romano, Gematsu, "Nintendo of America president and COO Doug Bowser to retire," September 25, 2025. https://www.gematsu.com/2025/09/nintendo-of-america-president-and-coo-doug-bowser-to-retire

[31] Thomas Whitehead, Nintendo Life, "Nintendo Confirms USD $661 Million Sale of Majority Ownership of Seattle Mariners," August 22, 2016. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/08/nintendo_confirms_usd661_million_sale_of_majority_ownership_of_seattle_mariners

[32] Holland & Knight, "File Now: CIT's Order Confirms Only Importers That Have Sued Will Get Full IEEPA Tariff Refunds," July 27, 2026. https://www.hklaw.com/en/insights/publications/2026/07/file-now-cits-order-confirms-only-importers-that-have-sued

[33] Liam Doolan, Nintendo Life, "Nintendo Of America Restructuring Testing Department, Over 100 Contractor Jobs Reportedly Eliminated," March 28, 2024. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/03/nintendo-of-america-restructuring-testing-department-over-100-contractor-jobs-reportedly-eliminated

[34] Liam Doolan, Nintendo Life, "Nintendo Donating 50 Million Yen To Aid Japan's Earthquake Victims," January 16, 2024. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/01/nintendo-donating-50-million-yen-to-aid-japans-earthquake-victims

[35] Nintendo of America, "About Us," Nintendo Careers, accessed November 7, 2026. https://careers.nintendo.com/about-us

[36] Dustin Bailey, GamesRadar+, "After 6 years at the top of Nintendo of America, Doug Bowser is retiring to make room for the company's first female president Devon Pritchard," September 25, 2025. https://www.gamesradar.com/games/after-6-years-at-the-top-of-nintendo-of-america-doug-bowser-is-retiring-to-make-room-for-the-companys-first-female-president-devon-pritchard-its-time-for-the-next-generation-of-leadership