There seems to be a larger plan for getting kids to love these Japanese characters.
So Pokemon Go was a step towards the CIA's end goal which is to get everyone living in a tokenized mixed reality world with an AI assistant to guide you.
This mixed reality world (XR) can be called the Metaverse, Web 3, Augmented Reality (AR), or Spatial Computing. 
(Btw, Meta has introduced the "improved" version recently. Some researchers believe they already have the more advanced versions and are introducing it to the public in stages so it doesn't look like they are forcing it on us.  I'll add info on that at the Blockchain Slavery thread later.)
Keiichi Matsuda has created demos I've shared before about what this CIA Metaverse videogame world will be like.  I'll post one again at the bottom.
Matsuda wrote an essay (posted below) explaining his vision of this as a way to 
summon a spirit world. This is interesting when we consider the discussions about evil spirits inhabiting AI and D-Wave's Geordi Rose's statements that AI is able to summon a
"Tsunami of Demons" or aliens that are the equivalent of the “Old Ones” spoken of by horror author H.P. Lovecraft.Rose says we are Summoning Robot "Entities" Who Will Treat Us Like Ants
Geordie Rose,AI expert says that tech developers are summoning “entities” into existence which will have the same indifference to humans as we have towards ants.
Matsuda explains how Japanese anamism plays a role:
 GODS
GODS // Keiichi Matsuda // 190328
This age of computing is being characterised by technology leaking out into our physical
world. It is becoming infused in our cities, our institutions, our products, our culture. As our
lives are increasingly mediated through technology, it is the interface that will shape the
way we understand reality.
KamiOS is a powerful and magical new way of interacting with the world around us. It is
built to re-frame our relationship with technology, focusing on transparency, privacy and
trust, to give agency back to the people. It is built to work with today's emerging
technologies, giving us intuitive new ways of harnessing 5G, AI, IoT, cloud and wearable
tech to name a few.
The interface has roots in our oldest and most primitive ways of understanding the world
around us: 
gods.
Japanese Tsukumogami: 
objects that have come to life
KamiOS channels the spirit world using AR. When you put on your headset, 
you will beintroduced to many different gods who will guide you through your virtual and physical life.Gods of navigation, communication, commerce. Gods who teach you, gods who learn fromyou. Gods who make their home in particular objects or places, and gods who accompanyyou on your journey.There are no buttons or menus in KamiOS. The gods may hear your words, but can also
learn about your routines, your connection to others, the way you spend your time. You
can ask them for things, but they will be active even without your input. Your interaction
with them is social, based on a contextual understanding of the world around you.
Today, the big tech companies are represented on this earth by their supposedly all-
powerful prophets (Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Google Assistant). Joining one of these almighty
ecosystems requires sacrifice, and blind faith. You must agree to the terms and conditions,
the arcane privacy policy. You submit your most intimate searches, friendships, memories.
From then you must pray that your god is a benevolent one. The big tech companies are
monotheistic belief systems, each competing to be the One True God.
KamiOS is different. 
It is based in pagan animism, where there are many thousands ofgods, who live in everything . You will form tight and productive relationships with some. 1
But if a malevolent spirit living in your refrigerator proves untrustworthy or inefficient, you
can banish it and replace it with another. Some gods serve corporate interests, some can
be purchased from developers, others you might train yourself. Over time, you will choose
a trusted circle of gods, who you may also allow to communicate with and manage one
another.
The spirit world is accessible through a growing number of devices. This world will envelop
our physical cities, and gods will come to be our connection to our appliances, our
institutions, our applications, and much more. These gods will operate machinery, curate
and play music, drive cars. Their influence will be increasingly felt in the physical world.
You will live and work in community of both physical and virtual beings. Access to this
world and to this community is the true product vision for AR.
Unlike today’s virtual assistants, the gods of KamiOS are not all-knowing or all-powerful.
They are limited, fallible, and have different agendas and loyalties. There is no pretence
that these gods can answer any question you ask of them . Often they will only be able to 2
answer one or two questions. But they also have extraordinary abilities that go far beyond
virtual assistants and conversational interfaces. As social animals, we will quickly come to
know the extents of their abilities, and this will lead to better interactions that lean on our
human intelligence . 3
This is a radical vision for a true step-change in interaction . It is not intended to replace 4
mobile or desktop functionality like-for-like, it is about creating a new mythology that opens
I am not the first to notice the synergy between animism and augmented technologies. See also: 1
Van Allen / McVeigh-Shultz’s Anithings
See BERG’s design principle for conversational interfaces: B.A.S.A.A.P (be as smart as a puppy) 2
3 KamiOS leverages the Theory of Mind, and extends it to non-human agents.
Why should it be radical? AR inputs cannot beat touchscreens or mouse/keyboard for existing 4
formats (like email). Rather than trying to make marginal gains in efficiency or productivity, we
should offer a bold, magical, native approach. To find new ways of communicating, creating,
playing, and unlocking people’s imagination.
up the imagination and brings new opportunity. It is built around a decentralised, open
infrastructure, which protects and empowers people to create . It carries with it new 5
business models, and is inherently ‘social’, embedded in the physical world around us. It is
natural and easy to use, leveraging our social instincts to give sophisticated control over
our data.
Most importantly, it uses our ancient systems of belief, ritual and community to create a
better, more human relationship with technology.
KM
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UyqFX3zKHOkBlM0M5ggrmYjqa5WxtkRo/viewHe mentions Japanese  Tsukumogami:

tool kami
In Japanese folklore, tsukumogami (付喪神 or つくも神, lit. "tool kami") are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit.)Here is his video from 2016 which really shows the CIA's tokenized mixed reality world we are fast becoming:
Note the tags above the people walking around which could be used to show if they are vaccinated or tested negative that day.  Also note how they are standing in circles at the grocery store long before the Covid plannedemic.