Japan’s transport ministry gets tougher about handheld games on flights (Video)

According to the above video and the Asahi Shinbun, airlines in Japan will now be a bit stricter when it comes to certain activities on flights:

The transport ministry concluded that revisions were necessary to stop such behavior at the earliest stage, the officials said.

The eight categories include:

–Smoking in restrooms;
–Obstructing crew members, including verbal abuse and sexual harassment;
–Using cellphones and other electronic equipment during restricted periods;
–Refusing to fasten seat belts;
–Refusing to put the table back into an upright position; and
–Leaving baggage in the aisle.

The transport ministry also plans to revise parts of the Aviation Law to prohibit passengers from activating the communication functions on hand-held game consoles at all times inside an aircraft.

Officials said radio waves emitted by such consoles can interfere with the flight control system and lead to mechanical errors.

Currently, passengers are prohibited from using game consoles during take-offs and landings. But those rules were made without considering the machines’ potentially disruptive communication functions.

All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Corp. have already been calling on passengers to refrain from using the communication functions of electronic devices at all times.

So remember: no Nintendo DS multiplayer on your flights!