Hiroshima Wants Pokemon Go Players To Stay Away From Atomic Bomb Memorial

Pokemon Go players have been flooding towards an atomic bomb memorial in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

City officials are unhappy that the site of remembrance for the tens of thousands who died during the 1945 nuclear attack is being overrun with people searching for virtual Pokemon.

The augmented reality mobile game, which has become wildly popular since its launch several weeks ago involves players attempting to catch the virtual critters at real-world locations.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is said to be filled with Pokestops, where players can collect Pokeballs with which they can capture the creatures.

The site has become a popular spot for Pokemon Go ‘trainers’ since the app’s launch in Japan last week.

Japanese authorities have asked game developer Niantic to remove the Pokestops and other virtual elements of the game from the site before an annual ceremony that takes place on 6 August to remember the victims.

Following similar complaints made by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., the site has since been removed from the game.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) has also asked for the area surrounding the highly radioactive Fukushima power plant to be taken out of the app.

Niantic enables people to request sites to be removed from the game, but removals are not automatic and cannot be guaranteed.

This week, Wellington College in Crowthorne, Berkshire - a £37,000-a-year school - has been forced to ban Pokemon Go players from trespassing on its private grounds.

Image credit: AP