Pokémon GO PokéStops to Link with AED Locations Nationwide! Launching in 1,000 locations in Tokyo from May 1st (Fri) - Expanding to 13,000 locations nationwide sequentially.
Niantic and The Pokémon Company announced a partnership with the Japan AED Foundation to integrate AED locations nationwide into Pokémon GO PokéStops. Starting May 1st with approximately 1,000 locations in Tokyo, the initiative will expand to around 13,000 locations across Japan by mid-July, aiming to boost AED awareness and promote their use.
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- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 19:00
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Niantic, Inc., in collaboration with The Pokémon Company, is launching an initiative starting May 1st, 2026 (Friday) for their smartphone location-based game app "Pokémon GO" to feature real-world AED (Automated External Defibrillator) locations as in-game "PokéStops." This partnership with the Japan AED Foundation will initially introduce approximately 1,000 such locations, primarily in Tokyo, and is planned to expand sequentially to about 13,000 locations nationwide by mid-July.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, "Pokémon GO" has provided players with experiences of walking, discovering, and connecting with communities in the real world using smartphone location information. To leverage this connection with the real world for socially significant initiatives, "PokéStops" (key spots where players can collect in-game items) will be set up based on information from the Japan AED Foundation's AED map "AED N@VI." These PokéStops will feature a Photo Disc designed with the healing Pokémon "Pawmot," and will gradually appear at approximately 13,000 AED locations across the country, making AEDs feel more familiar.
Currently, according to estimates from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there are approximately 670,000 AED units installed in Japan. However, since there is no obligation to register their exact locations, their whereabouts are not sufficiently known, leading to underutilization. Approximately 90,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest annually, and it is known that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED use can increase the survival rate by four times (Source: Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications). "Pokémon GO" PokéStops are typically placed in important and meaningful locations within communities. By making people aware of nearby AEDs, this initiative aims to contribute to a new form of AED awareness improvement through gaming and city exploration, preparing them for emergencies.
ー About the Partnership between "Pokémon GO" and Japan AED Foundation ー
[Implementation Details]
・AED locations (excluding some) registered in the AED map "AED N@VI" will appear as "PokéStops" in "Pokémon GO."
・"PokéStops" set up based on real-world AED location information will display a Photo Disc designed with the healing Pokémon "Pawmot," contributing to increased AED awareness.
[Implementation Area]
・Japan
[Schedule]
・May 1st, 2026 (Friday): "PokéStops" appear at approximately 1,000 AED locations, primarily in Tokyo.
・Mid-July 2026 (planned): "PokéStops" gradually appear at approximately 13,000 AED locations nationwide.
・After this, the locations of "PokéStops" will be updated and expanded.
"PokéStop" designed with the healing Pokémon "Pawmot"
"AED N@VI"
AED
◎ Yusei Kawamura, Senior Director, Niantic, Inc.
"Pokémon GO" celebrates its 10th anniversary this year since its service launch in 2016. Niantic has consistently offered trainers the experience of exploring the real world through games and connecting with people. On this 10th anniversary, we aim to leverage our accumulated connection with the real world for more socially significant initiatives. We hope that through this partnership with the Japan AED Foundation, "Pokémon GO" can contribute to spreading awareness and actions for saving lives in daily life.
◎ Hiroshi Iwami, Executive Director, Japan AED Foundation; Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Department of Preventive Medicine
The Japan AED Foundation promotes awareness and educational activities related to AEDs, and has worked towards a society where anyone can use an AED to save a collapsed person, reaching its 10-year milestone. Twenty years have passed since citizens were allowed to use AEDs, and the term AED has become widely recognized. However, the rate of AED use for cardiac arrests witnessed at the moment of collapse remains only 5% of witnessed cases. Through this partnership with "Pokémon GO," we hope to raise interest in AEDs among more people and contribute to realizing a society where everyone can be involved in saving lives by using an AED.
■ What is "Pokémon GO"?
"Pokémon GO" is a location-based game app that uses smartphone location information to be played in the real world itself. Players become "Trainers" and by going out and walking, they can catch "Pokémon" that appear as they move, and engage in battles with other trainers. Launched in July 2016, "Pokémon GO" will reach a major milestone of its 10th anniversary in 2026.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, "Pokémon GO" has provided players with experiences of walking, discovering, and connecting with communities in the real world using smartphone location information. To leverage this connection with the real world for socially significant initiatives, "PokéStops" (key spots where players can collect in-game items) will be set up based on information from the Japan AED Foundation's AED map "AED N@VI." These PokéStops will feature a Photo Disc designed with the healing Pokémon "Pawmot," and will gradually appear at approximately 13,000 AED locations across the country, making AEDs feel more familiar.
Currently, according to estimates from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, there are approximately 670,000 AED units installed in Japan. However, since there is no obligation to register their exact locations, their whereabouts are not sufficiently known, leading to underutilization. Approximately 90,000 people die from sudden cardiac arrest annually, and it is known that cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and AED use can increase the survival rate by four times (Source: Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications). "Pokémon GO" PokéStops are typically placed in important and meaningful locations within communities. By making people aware of nearby AEDs, this initiative aims to contribute to a new form of AED awareness improvement through gaming and city exploration, preparing them for emergencies.
ー About the Partnership between "Pokémon GO" and Japan AED Foundation ー
[Implementation Details]
・AED locations (excluding some) registered in the AED map "AED N@VI" will appear as "PokéStops" in "Pokémon GO."
・"PokéStops" set up based on real-world AED location information will display a Photo Disc designed with the healing Pokémon "Pawmot," contributing to increased AED awareness.
[Implementation Area]
・Japan
[Schedule]
・May 1st, 2026 (Friday): "PokéStops" appear at approximately 1,000 AED locations, primarily in Tokyo.
・Mid-July 2026 (planned): "PokéStops" gradually appear at approximately 13,000 AED locations nationwide.
・After this, the locations of "PokéStops" will be updated and expanded.
"PokéStop" designed with the healing Pokémon "Pawmot"
"AED N@VI"
AED
◎ Yusei Kawamura, Senior Director, Niantic, Inc.
"Pokémon GO" celebrates its 10th anniversary this year since its service launch in 2016. Niantic has consistently offered trainers the experience of exploring the real world through games and connecting with people. On this 10th anniversary, we aim to leverage our accumulated connection with the real world for more socially significant initiatives. We hope that through this partnership with the Japan AED Foundation, "Pokémon GO" can contribute to spreading awareness and actions for saving lives in daily life.
◎ Hiroshi Iwami, Executive Director, Japan AED Foundation; Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Department of Preventive Medicine
The Japan AED Foundation promotes awareness and educational activities related to AEDs, and has worked towards a society where anyone can use an AED to save a collapsed person, reaching its 10-year milestone. Twenty years have passed since citizens were allowed to use AEDs, and the term AED has become widely recognized. However, the rate of AED use for cardiac arrests witnessed at the moment of collapse remains only 5% of witnessed cases. Through this partnership with "Pokémon GO," we hope to raise interest in AEDs among more people and contribute to realizing a society where everyone can be involved in saving lives by using an AED.
■ What is "Pokémon GO"?
"Pokémon GO" is a location-based game app that uses smartphone location information to be played in the real world itself. Players become "Trainers" and by going out and walking, they can catch "Pokémon" that appear as they move, and engage in battles with other trainers. Launched in July 2016, "Pokémon GO" will reach a major milestone of its 10th anniversary in 2026.