--- description: A driver playing the smartphone game hit two pedestrians on Tuesday night, officials said, in Japan's first Pokémon Go-related death title: Driver Playing 'Pokémon Go' Kills Pedestrian In Japan image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76e107f91b25928f/6988a3a0656a3f55e2bccde9/pokemon-go-car-crash-fatal-accident-japan-tokushima.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Driver Playing _Pokémon Go_ Kills Pedestrian In Japan by [Abigail Abrams](/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 25, 2016 2:02 PM CUT  Flowers are laid in Tokushima, Japan, on Aug. 24, 2016, near the scene where a passer-by was killed in the first fatal accident in the country linked to a person playing the popular augmented-reality game "Pokemon Go" while driving. Flowers are laid in Tokushima, Japan, on Aug. 24, 2016, near the scene where a passer-by was killed in the first fatal accident in the country linked to a person playing the popular augmented-reality game "Pokemon Go" while driving.Kyodo—Kyodo/AP by [Abigail Abrams](/author/abigail-abrams/) ## Abigail Abrams Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 25, 2016 2:02 PM CUT In what police are calling Japan’s [first death](http://www.wsj.com/articles/woman-killed-in-pokemon-go-related-car-crash-in-japan-1472107854 "undefined") linked to _Pokémon Go_, a driver playing the smartphone game hit two pedestrians on Tuesday night, officials said. The collision broke the neck of one woman, killing her, and left another woman with a broken hip, the [Wall Street _Journal_ reports](http://www.wsj.com/articles/woman-killed-in-pokemon-go-related-car-crash-in-japan-1472107854 "undefined"). Police in Tokushima, on the western Japanese island of Shikoku, told the Wall Street _Journal_ the women were crossing the street when the car struck them. The man driving the car did not see them because was playing [_Pokémon Go_](http://time.com/4400791/pokemon-go-iphone-android-nintendo/ "undefined")_._ Nintendo and Niantic, the companies behind the game, expressed condolences to the victims’ families, the [New York _Times_ reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/26/business/japan-driver-pokemon-go-kills-pedestrian.html "undefined"). The game previously added safety warnings and tells users: “Remember to be alert at all times. Stay aware of your surroundings.” Since _Pokémon Go_ launched earlier this year, people in the United States have reported being [attacked](http://m.sfgate.com/news/article/San-Mateo-man-20-shot-to-death-near-SF-s-9127561.php "undefined") and robbed while playing the game, and it has caused [car crashes](http://time.com/4414998/pokemon-go-hits-cop-bodycam/ "undefined") as well. Japanese police told the _Wall Street Journal_ that there have been 79 accidents involving _Pokémon_ Go since it came to the country on July 22, and 22 of those resulted in injuries. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4465882/pokemon-go-driver-kills-pedestrian/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4465882/pokemon-go-driver-kills-pedestrian/"},"headline":"Driver Playing Pokémon Go Kills Pedestrian In Japan","datePublished":"2016-08-25T14:02:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:50:25.380Z","description":"One woman was killed and another injured","url":"https://time.com/4465882/pokemon-go-driver-kills-pedestrian/","keywords":["Tech","Video Games","Japan","Pokemon","pokemon go"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76e107f91b25928f/6988a3a0656a3f55e2bccde9/pokemon-go-car-crash-fatal-accident-japan-tokushima.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Abigail Abrams","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/abigail-abrams/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt76e107f91b25928f/6988a3a0656a3f55e2bccde9/pokemon-go-car-crash-fatal-accident-japan-tokushima.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Japan sees 1st fatal car accident linked to playing \"Pokemon Go\"","caption":"Japan sees 1st fatal car accident linked to playing \"Pokemon Go\"","creditText":"Kyodo—Kyodo/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4465882/pokemon-go-driver-kills-pedestrian/","name":"Driver Playing Pokémon Go Kills Pedestrian In Japan"}}]}] ```