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Pokemon alarm to ward off kidnappers
Worried by a spate of high-profile attacks on children, parents in Japan are turning to the most advanced technology to make sure their kids will never be missing or stabbed by a knife.
Worried by a spate of high-profile attacks on children, parents in Japan are turning to the most advanced technology to make sure their kids will never be missing or stabbed by a knife.
From knife-proof clothing to schoolbags equipped with the global positioning system (GPS), parents are leaving nothing to chance despite living in one of the world’s safest countries.
Afraid that bad men are out to stab their children — a fear made more palpable after the 2001 slashing deaths of eight students in school by a madman — parents now have a defence in knife-resistant garments. The long-sleeved T-shirts, sweaters and coats look like any other piece of clothing, but they are billed as being resistant to knife slashes.
The technology can also be fun. Toy maker Tomy Co. Ltd. is selling alarms in the shape of the hugely popular Pokemon character Pikachu. The cute yellow cartoon figure is attached to a backpack. If and when the child senses danger, he can pull off the Pokemon character’s head, sounding an alarm.
In Yokohama, a school has begun a trial under which children carry a microchip-embedded tag as small as a matchbox. Antennae at watchpoints catch the tag’s radiowaves and send e-mails about the child’s safety. The tag also has an alert button to trigger messages giving the child’s name and location.
