Tokyo - A 9-year-old boy drove a car about 3 kilometres without supervision in central Japan, practicing the skills he learned from a video game, because he wanted to visit his grandmother, media reports said Thursday.

Police in Gifu prefecture took him into custody at a parking lot Monday after they received a call about a car moving without a driver.

The elementary-school-aged driver was not visible through the car window because he is about 135 centimetres tall, the Kyodo News Agency said.

"I learned from my father's driving and at game arcades," the boy was quoted as telling police.

No accident occurred and he was unhurt because traffic was light on the Culture Day national holiday, police said.

The boy's family had left the key in the ignition. (dpa)