China punishes gaming company using pornographic adverts

The Ministry of Culture has banned a Chinese mobile game using a Japanese porn star for promotion and fined its developer for publicizing pornography, it said on Thursday.

The ministry said the Shanghai Wanke Internet Technology corporation invited Kato Taka, a famous Japanese porn actor, to make a video with pornographic content to advertise a mobile game developed by the company.

In addition, without approval from authorities, Shanghai Wanke conducted business operations involving Internet games, providing online games and services through its website and the Apple App Store, and gained profits through the virtual currency it issued to gamers.

Law enforcers in Shanghai banned the illegal website and advertising activities, suspending all advertisement involving Kato Taka. Shanghai Wanke has also been fined 172,000 yuan (27,675 U.S. dollars).

The move was made in accordance with regulations concerning online games issued in 2010. They stipulate that online game advertisement involving pornography, violence, gambling and other contents violating social morality are to be banned.

However, as games on mobile phones are booming, such illegal advertising is on the rise, with some companies inviting Japanese porn stars to be involved, a ministry official said.

The phenomenon is adverse to the development of the gaming industry, according to the official, who did not wish to be named.

The official urged the online game industry to improve its products rather than catching gamers' eyes with porn, adding that the ministry will strengthen market supervision, and resolutely crack down on illegal conduct.