Japan’s CERO Ratings Board Will Resume Operations On May 7, 2020

The Japanese entertainment rating organization CERO will resume operations on May 7, 2020. Due to the ongoing pandemic, CERO had been temporarily closed in response to the Japanese government’s state of emergency. However, operations will be resuming in the very near future, and the organization mentioned that it will enforce improved health measures for staff. [Thanks, Nibel and Game’s Talk!]

This is what CERO had to say about the temporary closure:

The organization has been temporarily closed due to the government’s declaration of a state of emergency regarding COVID-19 and at the request of the Governor of Tokyo to refrain from going outside. Business will resume on May 7. We apologize for any concerns or worries..

Additionally, CERO mentioned that it is currently planning to introduce telework, or a system to work remotely, for its employees. On top of this, it will also be going to avoid working at peak times for employees that will need to come into the office.

CERO, or the Consumer Entertainment Supplier’s Association’s Computer Entertainment Rating Organization, had announced the suspension of operations on April 7, 2020. The office, as a whole, has been closed during this period of time. This nonprofit organization is essentially the Japanese equivalent to the ESRB. This has meant that assigning the ratings of upcoming releases has not been possible due to the temporary closure of the office and could have resulted in game delays.