The number of viewers affected by the "Pocket Monsters" television program Tuesday evening continued to increase Wednesday, with schools around the country reporting that thousands of children were made ill.
Nearly 90 students at public elementary and junior high schools in Tokyo missed school Wednesday due to illnesses attributed to watching the cartoon, Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials said. The survey was hastily arranged after nearly 53 children were rushed to hospitals after the program aired Tuesday evening. It covered all 1,396 public elementary schools and 872 high schools in Tokyo.
The officials said 80 elementary and eight junior high school students were absent Wednesday. No high school students missed classes because of the TV program, the officials said.