Japanese Driver Kills Woman While Playing Pokemon Go Behind the Wheel

A Japanese driver who was playing Pokémon Go behind the wheel has killed a woman after hitting two pedestrians with his car.

The 39-year-old man has been taken into custody after admitting to not watching the road due to playing the augmented reality game. The other pedestrian was seriously injured.

The suspect was named as Keiji Goo, a farmer, while the deceased victim was named as Sachiko Nakanishi, 72, and the injured victim as Kayoko Ikawa, 60, the Japan Times reported.

Japanese police said on Wednesday that the incident was the first fatality involving the game in the country, the BBC reported. The game's creators Niantic have reportedly expressed "deep condolences" to the family of the victim.

The smartphone game—which allows players to hunt down virtual creatures in a real-world environment—has skyrocketed in popularity since its release in July. But the gaming phenomenon has sparked several controversies including concerns around privacy and issues around inappropriate gaming at historical landmarks such as the site of the former Auschwitz concentration camp.

Saudi Arabia's top clerical body issued a fatwa against the game, saying it featured "deviant" symbols of "international Zionism," while the Ukrainian Interior Ministry has issued guidelines advising players not to wander into conflict-torn regions such as Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been held by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.

Prior to the game's release in Japan on July 22, the country's national cybersecurity center issued a set of guidelines to players, while the Japan Railway group has also said it is concerned about increased accidents at train stations.

The smartphone app does issue players with a warning if it detects that they might be in a moving vehicle.