Most Western photography sites scrape news from Japanese sites. In re-reporting this "news" sometimes we see exaggerations or misleading statements being made.
What happened on November 12th was that Nikon Direct in Japan was receiving more orders than expected, so told its customers that "it might take some time for your order to be delivered." A 10% off coupon was offered to those in Japan wanting to still order. That led to headlines such as "Nikon Japan already warns about Z50II camera supply shortages," which many would interpret as the overall company warning everyone about short supply everywhere.
Nikon Direct is the online presence of Nikon Imaging Japan.
One thing I've noted but haven't been able to get any specifics about is that with each new camera release—and even with subsequent shipments—Nikon is carefully allocating units by region. Based on currency valuations and local economy health, Nikon prioritizes putting units where they feel they'll make the most money. Curiously, the home market of Japan has been the one region that seems to be getting short shrift in the past several years.
This kind of logistical micromanagement has long been in place at Nikon, but in recent years it's become very obvious where the most units tend to go (typically China and North America, sometimes Europe).
The brick and mortar retailers in Tokyo are not yet reporting shortages (though I suspect some will soon if the Z50II turns out to be truly popular). That said, the only known shortage at the moment is if you want to buy directly from Nikon in Japan.
