Tokyo city council to introduce game labelling

Tokyo's city officials have announced plans to introduce stronger measures to prevent minors from purchasing and playing games with violent content.

Japan's Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association introduced a voluntary ratings system back in July, but city officials have said this doesn't go far enough.

"The system is no more than a rough measure that says a product could be appropriate for an approximate age group," officials said.

"The labelling doesn't indicate that any particular product is inappropriate for minors."

The city government has scheduled a meeting to unveil the new measures for October 19. Along with CESA officials, software retailers and nine publishers - including Nintendo - are expected to attend.

Several Japanese prefectures, including Osaka, Ishikawa and Saitama, have already taken steps to clamp down on the sale of games with violent content to minors.

The move comes in response to a number of media reports linking violent games with juvenile crimes. Earlier this year, a 15 year old boy from Tokyo killed his parents and used home made explosives to destroy their home. The fact that he was a fan of Rockstar's controversial game Grand Theft Auto III was widely reported in the media.