He keeps a very close eye on how Pokemon games are handled before release as well, even in Japan. It's not just a knowledge of the games themselves. It's a knowledge of how the games are advertised, and the many PR campaigns that The Pokemon Company do along with it. This is especially noteworthy in Japan, which has many, MANY Pokemon PR stunts.
Also, Japan are crazy into portability, it's not all about Europe.
Simply dismissing his knowledge because he puts way more time into the whole franchise than the majority of fans is a little bit deluded. He knows what he's on about. Definitely more so than you or me.