Pokemon GO launches in Japan, bringing smash-hit mobile game home

[TOKYO] Nintendo Co Ltd's Pokemon GO mobile game has launched in Japan, bringing the record-setting global hit to the home of the Pokemon characters.

Japan, one of the world's biggest gaming markets, joins the United States, Canada, Australia and more than 30 countries in Europe to have the "augmented-reality" game, in which players interact with virtual characters in the real world.

The game was created by Nintendo, Niantic, and Pokemon Co. Nintendo owns a third of Pokemon Co, and both have undisclosed stakes in Niantic.

Nintendo shares climbed more than 4 per cent in Tokyo trading on Friday.

Shares of Japan's McDonald's Holdings Co, which has turned its stores into spots where Pokemon can be battled or "trained" in the game, briefly surged 7 per cent.

REUTERS