Nintendo Co., the maker of Wii U game consoles, is riding high in Tokyo trading after China lifted a 13-year ban on gaming machines this week.
Nintendo shares rose 4.28 percent Friday to close at ¥16,080. China's ruling State Council temporarily suspended the ban and will draft new rules allowing consoles to be made in the Shanghai free-trade zone, it said in a statement Monday.
Consoles such as the Wii U and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation were banned under a 2000 rule to protect youths from the perceived corrupting influence of video games. Nintendo's prospects for meeting its sales and profit forecasts this year depend on winning sales amid new devices from Sony and Microsoft Corp. released in the past two months.