As the excitement for the smash-hit Pokemon Go’s imminent launch in Japan reached a fever pitch, the government released a one-page safety guide advising players of the potential troubles over the online game.
“Please pass this on to people around you, especially to children, so everyone can enjoy the game, and play it safely,” tweeted the country’s National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC). The post has been retweeted more than 15,000 times.
In a nine-point safety guide, the NISC warned Pokemon Go players against dubious strangers and online scams, saying dangerous places should be avoided at all costs.
“In countries where the game has already been launched, various incidents have been reported, including users getting run over by a car, falling into a pond, getting bitten by a snake and getting robbed,” it said.
Japan warns on Pokemon GO safety as impatient gamers await launch: It is rare for NISC to issue an advisory o… July 21, 2016
The NISC also advised gamers to download a weather app to avoid the risk of heat stroke while playing under the scorching summer sun.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Thursday called on the Japanese people to abide by the warning. “I would like people to follow the advisory the government issued to use smartphones safely,” he said at a news conference.
The Niigata chapter of the Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom (JLAF) also appealed to the Niigata Municipal Board of Education to guide elementary and junior high school students on how to stay safe while playing the game.
#Japan issues safety warning on #PokemonGO as impatient gamers await launch pic.twitter.com/55wLrZmX22
— The Straits Times (@STcom) July 21, 2016
Even the West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) expressed concern about accidents involving Pokemon Go fans playing at train stations.
“We are worried that enthused users could get into trouble or in accidents,” JR West President Tatsuo Kijima was quoted by The Japan Times as saying.
“Use of smartphones while walking is a major cause of accidents on train platforms. We have asked passengers, over and over again, not to use smartphones while walking.”
Pokemon Go fan Motomasa Takahashi, 21, vowed to be careful while playing the game, but said he was unhappy it was not yet released in Japan, the country where it originated.
Serkan Toto said fears of server outages may have caused the delay of the Pokemon Go’s release.
“Nowhere in the world are the mobile gamers, the end consumers, as critical as in Japan. In the U.S., people are accustomed to slow networks, to server outages,” said Toto, a games industry consultant in Tokyo.
Now available in more than 30 countries, the hugely popular smartphone app has become the subject of numerous complaints involving traffic violations and crimes in many cities.
The game, whose franchise Nintendo created 20 years ago, dares players armed with smartphones to roam around in search of cartoon monsters. It was launched two weeks ago in the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and will soon be released in Japan.
