A Japanese game makers association banned its members from making and selling games that contain rape scenes following an international protest by a human rights group that raised the attention of the U.K. parliament.Move to ban post on gamezplay.org
The Ethics Organization of Computer Software, comprising 233 companies, banned games containing rape scenes and other images of sexual violence at a meeting in Tokyo, the association said in a statement late yesterday. Nearly 90 percent of Japan’s adult-game makers belong to the group.
The availability of rape games in Japan gained international attention in recent months when London-based women’s rights group Equality Now began a campaign against a game called Rapelay, where players act as assailants attacking and raping females including 12 year-old schoolgirls.
Equality Now called on Japan’s Ministry of Justice and other departments to ban games that “normalize and promote sexual violence against women and girls,” the group said in a statement. It asked supporters to write to the government to take action.
Rapelay, published by Yokohama-based Illusion Software, was available for sale on Amazon Japan K.K. before being removed from its Web Site, Equality Now said in the statement.
Amazon Japan spokeswoman Misao Konishi declined to comment. An Illusion spokesman, who gave his name only as Nakaoka, declined to comment when contacted by telephone yesterday. The company has removed Rapelay from its Web Site.
Source: Bloomberg