Curious case of the Pilot Hi-Tec-C

Pilot Japan sells a 0.25mm gel pen. When I asked why it isn’t sold in the US the gist of the response was this:

Due to our marketing agreement with our parent company, and in some cases patent restrictions, we are unable to either sell or stock this item.

I was encouraged to travel abroad if I wanted this pen. The closest I’ve found in the American market is Pentel’s Sunburst which comes in at 0.30mm. The majority of gel pens in America are an obese 0.70mm, some with inferior gel inks that spread even wider depending on the paper. Practically like writing with a marker at that point.

If information about these pens can travel the world, why not the pen? If this is a patent or marketing limitation why is nobody else providing a 0.25mm gel pen in America? I’m galled that patent/marketing limitations create a desert where there could be a market.