Importation of R4 DS cartridges into Japan now illegal

Product: Nintendo 3DS | Manufacturer: Nintendo

by James Gilmour

Two and a half years after the London High Court completely outlawed the infamous R4 DS cartridge in the UK, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) has announced that it is now illegal to import R4 flash cartridges (and similar game-copying carts) into Japan.

According to a report on Japanese site 47 News (translated by Kotaku), the Japanese ministry's decision was apparently prompted by a legal complaint from DS manufacturer Nintendo.

The sale of these controversial carts in Japan was actually deemed illegal back in 2009, when the Tokyo District Court ruled that retailers could not sell R4 cartridges in Nintendo's homeland.

The offending carts did find their way back onto some store shelves in 2010, however, thanks largely to the fact that the courts failed to specify any legal repercussions for those in defiance of the ban.

It seems the authorities have been taking the problem more seriously of late, though, with one Japanese retailer arrested for selling R4 carts online earlier this year and this new ruling on the importation of R4s.

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