These are sponsored locations.
Translated text:
Trainers
Starting May 1, 2026, AED locations will appear as “PokéStops” within Pokémon GO!
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Pokémon GO has utilized smartphone location information to provide players with an experience of walking, discovering, and connecting with the community in the real world.
To leverage this connection with the real world for socially meaningful initiatives, we have entered into a partnership with the Japan AED Foundation and will install “PokeStops” at some AED locations based on information from the AED map “AED N@VI” operated by the Japan AED Foundation.
The program will start at approximately 1,000 locations in Tokyo and will be gradually rolled out to approximately 13,000 AED locations nationwide by mid-July.
Furthermore, to make AEDs feel more familiar, special photo discs featuring the healing Pokémon “Parmot” will be displayed at “PokéStops” that are set up based on AED installation information.
Through Pokémon GO, try to find nearby AEDs so you can become aware of them and be prepared for emergencies. Enjoy the game while searching for them in your local area.
When playing Pokémon GO, please be mindful of your surroundings and enjoy the game in accordance with the laws and regulations of your country and local government. Upcoming events may be canceled or their content changed. For the latest information, please check social media, push notifications, and email announcements.
—From the Pokémon GO Development Team
I have never been a “More Stops = Better Game” but I like the sound of this, much better than random street corners or bus stops.
At least these are educational so people are made aware of there locations.
I would even be happy if they allowed them to be nominated worldwide, my only problem is that the 1 local to me is on school grounds 
I am not sure about this one. I assume that Niantic believe the pros of publicising AED locations make up for any risk of a crowd blocking access - it sounds like they are only going to be stops, which would alleviate that risk.
I think bus stops were a way better idea as they are designed for a small group to stand at and have a bit of a link to criteria too. Also they are present in all locations to a point (in places with a bus network) so they could potentially bring benefit to rural and suburban locations.
I will accept your opinion on bus stops, they just sounded like a random item to choose.
In regards to “blocking” I suppose I only see from my play style which is usually Solo so it is never a problem for me.
If anybody does not get out of the way when someone runs towards them they deserve a punch but again I am looking at this from my point of view that I have only ever seen small groups at the town park, never seen a stampede when someone shouted “Snorlax”…
Testing in Japan, where the game is a LOT more popular than here I believe. I can imagine crowds do happen. Although likely wouldn’t be at stops, more at gyms and max power spots, so hopefully that will be okay
I have taken your opinions onboard and have to agree mine has moved from “better than the last lot” towards “now, I am not sure”.
“Not Sure” is my answer to a lot of things these days such as “why did I come in to this room?” 
I have two thoughts on this. The first is that it does not matter how well they communicate it, many low info wayfarers will think this means they’re eligible. That might be their fault but it’s completely predictable so I don’t fully excuse niantic. The second is that I don’t really understand why it’s ok to obstruct emergency services if the stop is sponsored. It’s always been a weird rejection criterion that it was best not to think too hard about though so who’s to say?
Niantic have form when it comes to this.
When the street corners were added to some areas, lots of them were on SFPRP or in the roadway, so categorically not eligible for a community-submitted wayspot, but there’s nothing to tell players/wayfarers that these are not eligible and that these imports don’t make street corners good for submitting.
Thank you for the PSA.
In the past, I have reviewed nominations for things like Ito En vending machines (which are under sponsorship agreements), and I’ve had to reject them time and time again. However, we have Emily (ML review) now. Even if ineligible nominations are submitted, she will likely reject them instantly. I believe we don’t need to worry too much about the order of the review process being disrupted. Perhaps the team is currently showing her what an AED looks like.
I believe this initiative will be a great one as it raises awareness of AEDs through Pokémon GO. Trainers will get to know where AEDs are located as they play, and in time, they will likely start to notice AEDs in their daily lives even if they aren’t displayed in the game.
This was my initial feelings towards these, with others mentioning potential negatives I suppose we have to weigh the positives against the negatives.
I am probably about 75/25 in favour at the moment but this is still likely to change after seeing more views.
I don’t have an issue with sponsorship….it always does its own thing.
We have a good number of the defibrillators across the U.K. most are in busy areas - I would expect the same to be true in Japan? So since most are in places with a lot of people I don’t see how the risk of obstruction is significantly higher. And perhaps there might even be trained first responder amongst those there.
So I personally don’t worry and yes training of a certain auto system will help.
Please share your feedback with the PoGo team at PoGo Fest.
Overall, this sponsorship initiative is a very good one.
I support this initiative.
However, I also acknowledge that there are risks involved.
These risks stem entirely from the trainers’ sense of ethics and level of compliance awareness.
In fact, unfortunately, since this announcement was made in Japan, there have been instances where people have suggested that it’s acceptable to register locations even if the original map contains some inaccuracies.
While it is up to PoGo to address these issues, it also depends on the level of compliance awareness within our community of trainers who play the game.
If that level is low, we will end up in the same situation we currently face with the prevalence of alt accounts in PoGo.
