GTA linked to homicide in Japan

TOKYO--Japan was shocked this week by an incident in which a 15-year-old boy allegedly murdered his parents by battering them and then slashing them to death. He then concealed his crime by blowing up their Tokyo apartment, using homemade explosives.

Today, some media outlets are reporting that the boy's schoolmates have described him as an average student who loved playing video games and who was a fan of Grand Theft Auto III.

The boy was arrested yesterday at a hot springs resort in the Gunma prefecture. According to police, the boy admitted to his crime when confronted, reportedly saying, "I wanted to kill my father since he made a fool out of me. I decided to kill my mother as well, since she was always saying that she wanted to die because of all the work she had to do. I felt sorry for her."

Grand Theft Auto III's Japanese publisher, Capcom--and the entire Japanese game industry--have been facing an onslaught of criticism recently, primarily in the Kanagawa prefecture where the local government has decided to put age restrictions on the sale of the game.