Japanese Citizen Goes to Prison After Pokemon Go-Related Traffic Accident

A Japanese national, who hit two female pedestrians by a truck while playing the Pokemon Go game, has received a year and two months in prison by a court decision in Tokushima, the capital city of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku island, local media reported Monday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — According to the Kyodo news agency, the prosecutor's office demanded one year and eight months in prison for this crime.

In August, Japanese farmer Keiji Goo, 39, was arrested after knocking down two women by his vehicle. A 72-year-old woman died and another was injured. The suspect said later that the accident took place as he was distracted by the Pokemon Go game. According to reports, it has become the first fatal accident in Japan involving the game.

Pokemon Go is a free augmented reality mobile game where the picture displayed on the smartphone screen is projected onto real-world locations. The main aim of the game is to catch a Pokemon, a pocket monster. It has become a worldwide hit since its launch in July and has been blamed for a wave of crimes, traffic violations and complaints in cities around the globe.