Here's what he had to say:
So here's an oddity! A friend in Japan was contacted by *his* friend in Japan with the info that Bot Shots have been released there, but only in one store (that he's seen so far). There are six toys out, each with two different packaging variations. Seems like a test market run to see how they'll do at retail there.
Followed by this:
Additional info!
The line is called BeCool (pun on "vehicle"). Bumblebee is the battle-mask version from the latest Hasbro wave. The price is 714 yen.
As of this news posting (09/19/2012) 714 yen is equivalent to $9.11 USD, making them nearly three times the domestic price. It's currently unknown if this test market will expand, or if these are just a store exclusive. We'll keep you updated.
Keep your optics tuned to Seibertron.com for the latest news!