Two Americans Arrested in Japan for Entering Zoo Enclosure to Promote Meme Coin, Token Surges 38%

According to the New York Times, on May 17, two American men were arrested for entering a macaque monkey's enclosure at an Ichikawa Zoo in suburban Tokyo to promote a Solana-based meme coin called Just a Memecoin (MEMECOIN). Video evidence shows 24-year-old Reid Jahnai Daysun allegedly climbing into the enclosure wearing a costume promoting the coin, while 27-year-old Neal Jabahri Duan allegedly filmed the incident. Both men denied the charges.

Viral videos of the stunt, with one post garnering over 5.7 million views on X, contributed to MEMECOIN jumping approximately 35–38% over the past week, according to CoinGecko. The token is currently trading around $0.0118 with a market cap of approximately $11.9 million. The Ichikawa Zoo confirmed no animals were harmed and announced plans to add intrusion prevention measures.