After requests from Hiroshima officials, Niantic removed Pokemon, PokeStops and Pokemon GO gyms from Hiroshima Memorial Park before last weekend’s annual ceremony marking the city’s World War II bombing, the AP reports.
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It is the 71st anniversary of the US attack on Hiroshima, in which 140,000 were killed.
Late July, in preparation for the city’s memorial event, Hiroshima officials asked Niantic to remove the park’s reported 30 PokeStops and three gyms. Since the game’s release, players have haunted the memorial searching for Pokemon, which officials found disruptive to the sombre atmosphere. Last year, the site attracted nearly 1.5 million visitors.
Niantic removed the PokeStops and gyms from the Hiroshima Memorial Park last Thursday, but Pokemon still wandered the grounds. The AP reports that, at 1:56AM, Niantic responded to Hiroshima officials’ requests to remove the virtual monsters. The ceremony transpired six hours later.
According to Japan Today, Niantic has also abided by Nagasaki officials’ requests to remove Pokemon GO-related content from the Nagasaki Peace Park, which commemorates the city’s August 1945 bombing. Late July, the Japanese government asked players to avoid catching Pokemon around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Pokemon GO-related breaches of decorum have plagued sensitive sites in America, too, though Niantic appears to be respecting the wishes of these sites’ curators. Recently, Pokemon were removed from the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, where, for some reason, players had to be told to stop chasing Pidgeys between the museum’s exhibits honouring those who died in concentration camps.
Comments
10 responses to “You Can No Longer Catch Pokemon At Hiroshima’s Memorial Or The Holocaust Museum”
How else am I going to catch Koffing?
You magnificent bastard!
I mean I get it. But I hope this doesn’t become too wide spread as it’s meant to be a game about getting people to go to such places. I know a lot more about the place I live due to ingress.
You should be going to war memorials for reasons that aren’t assisted living mobile games or whatever the fuck they’re called.
There are no shortage of people at those parks and anyone who goes there to catch Pokemon shouldn’t be there at all.
I spent the better part of a day at Hiroshima Peace Park and after walking out of the museum I felt like I’d just finished vomiting after a marathon.
Really that’s just your opinion. Some people are visiting and learning about them via going there for the game. Don’t be so short sighted and worried about your own version of morals.
It’s a museum. A nuclear holocaust museum. You wanna catch a zubat sitting on the charred shoes of a melted 6 year old, you go right ahead.
Obviously I’m just some moral crusader and you’re not being fucking weird.
Someone is choosing to do that though. Being a dick on purpose. Most people only turn the AR camera on to make memes. It’s the same as someone just taking a photo and using Photoshop.
Yes, some places need to be respected, even if there is no ill will intended. Memorial sites are such sites that should be removed from the game.
A lot of Poke Hunters (if that’s what you call em’) seem to be oblivious to their surrounds.
The Anzac memorial in Kings Park here in Perth is another one that I could see being removed. At the same time though, I hope its not as not only have I never seen anyone disrespecting the site, the few times Ive been there myself Ive heard parents explain the significance to their children, which would never otherwise happen. Id like to see more focus on that point considering this is nothing more than a harmless game.