McDonald’s Japan prematurely ended a promotion for the chain’s Happy Meals after customers bought the meals just to get a “Pokémon” collectible card, and threw away the food.

The customers who bought meals en masse were doing it to get multiple collectible cards and figurines for resale, McDonald’s Japan said in a release Monday.

“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to our customers who regularly use McDonald’s, as well as to our store staff, local residents, and tenant owners,” the company said as translated from Japanese. “McDonald’s does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Meals for the purpose of resale, or the abandonment or disposal of food. This incident clearly violates our long-held philosophy of ‘providing a fun dining experience for children and families’ and our stance as a restaurant.”

Going forward, McDonald’s Japan said it may choose to impose purchase restrictions on certain Happy Meal promotions. Customers who line up multiple times, try to buy beyond the limit or intimidate staff will be denied a purchase.

Customers with a history of such behavior could get kicked off the McDonald’s app, the company said. McDonald’s Japan is also reaching out to apps used for reselling cards and collectibles to curb the hoarding that drives up the prices of the Happy Meal giveaways.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.