China Daily’s Shen Jingting reports rumblings within China’s Ministry of Culture about a possible end to the 13-year ban on game consoles which have made Sony and Nintendo shares jump. The bureaucratic tangle surrounding the restrictions may, however, prove immovable.

Because of fears of the potential harm to the physical and mental development of the young, seven Chinese ministries collectively banned the […] sale and import of game consoles in China in 2000.

Major game console vendors across the world, including Microsoft Corp, Nintendo Co and Sony Corp, made several attempts but failed to find a way to enter the Chinese mainland market officially.

“We are reviewing the policy and have conducted some surveys and held discussions with other ministries on the possibility of opening up the game console market,” a source from the Ministry of Culture, who asked not to be named, said.

“However, since the ban was issued by seven ministries more than a decade ago, we will need approval from all parties to lift it,” the source said.