Video game certification to resume in Japan

Japan’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) will resume its review process on May 7.

CERO, the organization responsible for rating PC and console games, was closed in early April after the Japanese government declared a state of emergency amid COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, there have been no new console or PC releases in the country as games cannot be sold in Japan without a CERO rating.

Earlier, Kantan Games analyst Dr. Serkan Toto explained that “many companies in Japan are either not structured to allow for remote work or are simply not willing to do so.”

Now, CERO is resuming its business, even if it still had to introduce a shorter working day. Moreover, the organization is working is upgrading its processes to allow for remote work in the foreseeable future.

Below is the announcement by CERO, translated by Gematsu:

The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization was temporarily closed in response to a shelter-in-place request from the governor of Tokyo and a state of emergency declared in response to the novel coronavirus, but upon strengthening our infection prevention measures for employees and examiners, business will resume on May 7.

We apologize for the great concern and worry we caused our staff and related parties during the break.

Regarding business hours, in order to commute during off-peak hours, we will operate from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for the time being.

Additionally, the organization is also preparing to introduce tele-working as soon as possible.