Party pushing for ban on sexually violent video games
May 30 , 2009
May 30: New Komeito is actively pushing forward a ban on video games featuring sexual violence, consulting with police and inspecting Akihabara, the so-called mecca of electronic gaming in Tokyo. One result of the party’s lobbying for stricter controls on game software that clearly exceed established norms is that the Ethics Organization of Computer Software, an industry watchdog group, has announced that it will reinforce regulations on gratuitous sexual and violent content. The organization said the new regulations will be formally adopted on June 2, and concerned companies notified to fully abide by them.
Video games have been exempt from the Law Banning Child Prostitution and Pornography, with content regulated by video game industry itself. Recently, however, human rights groups in several countries have voiced outrage over a Japanese game in which a girl is sexually assaulted. Such software will now no longer be manufactured nor marketed.
