Office machine manufacturer Ricoh Co. said Thursday there were seven cases of children being injured by Ricoh paper shredders between 1985 and 1997, including one serious injury.
The report follows the announcement Wednesday that there have been at least seven injuries to children involving paper shredders built by other manufacturers.
The most serious injury with a Ricoh machine took place in 1993 and involved a kindergartener, the firm said. In all the seven cases, the shredders were small and for office use.
Ricoh said that after it learned of the accidents, it took steps to try to increase safety, including changing the design and adding warning labels.
Vice Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Takao Kitabata told a news conference the government is considering making it mandatory for firms to report on accidents and to strengthen technical standards to make products safer.
"Shredders were originally for business purposes, but now smaller types are used in homes, and manufacturers did not protect children's fingers. If the current standards are insufficient, we should revise them," Kitabata said, adding that METI will decide next week on what steps to take.
METI has asked electronic equipment makers to report accidents involving their products within a week of being notified.