"Pokemon GO," while it has brought young people outdoors and given them some physical activity, has been blamed for also endangering public safety. But it turns out besides negative reports of vehicular collisions, stampedes and shooting incidents because of the popular game, in Japan the augmented reality game has actually reduced the number of suicides.
In 2015, more than 25,000 Japanese committed suicide, or an average of 70 daily. Besides the Japanese tradition of honorable suicide, there are distinct cultural reasons behind why Japanese are more likely to kill themselves such as due to financial trouble among the elderly and lost hope among the young, BBC reported.
Among the favorite suicide spots among Japanese who choose to end their lives is Tojinbo Cliffs in Sakai, Fukui Prefecture. Yearly, around 25 people jump off the 70-foot-high cliffs. Gamerant reported that the rate of suicides at the cliff has drastically plummeted in August and September because of "Pokemon GO."
In late June, "Pokemon GO" began to broadcast in Japan, with 1.3 million downloads as soon as the app became available.
Several PokeStops were established afterward near the Tojinbo Cliffs, creating noise in the area. Yukio Shige, a former police officer who runs a suicide prevention non-profit organization, explained that people who contemplate suicide often seek a quiet place before making a final decision to end their life.
With so many players occupying the place, the noise level had gone up. But it is not just by the sheer noise of players that desperate people leave the place. Some "Pokemon GO" players have talked them out of their plans to jump to their death, Shige disclosed.
Prior to July, the area around Tojinbo had been very dark and eerie after 5 p.m. after the tourists leave. “But since 'Pokemon GO' was released, the area has been bustling, even late at night,” the anti-suicide advocate said, Japan Times reported.
Because of this positive development, the former cop hopes "Pokemon GO" events would be held on the cliff and other suicide hotspots in Japan. Shigo also suggested that Niantic introduce an interact face-to-face feature for players of the augmented reality game.
