March 12^th, 2002 (12:00am) - After being pulled from Japanese shelves due to defect complaints, Microsoft’s Xbox is available through nearly all associated electronics chains again. Specifically, last week Laox, Yodobashi Camera and Sato Musen ceased Xbox sales due to rising complaints regarding a hardware defect which causes disc scratching. According to Microsoft representatives, the problem has been reported by 588 Japanese consumers thus far. After a weekend of reassurances regarding product replacements however, all associated retailers agreed to begin selling consoles again. Reportedly, Microsoft has agreed to unconditionally replace all damaged hardware and software. The temporary stoppage reportedly had little effect on Xbox hardware sales. For reference, approximately 250,000 consoles have been shipped to retailers in Japan.