Japan Game Awards


The Japan Game Awards are an awards ceremony held by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) to recognize outstanding video games released in Japan throughout the previous year. The ceremony is held in Japan, typically during the month of September, to coincide with the Tokyo Game Show convention.
First announced in 1996 as the "CESA Awards", the first edition of the event was held on April 4, 1997. Starting from the fourth edition, held in 2000, the name was changed to "Japan Game Awards", only to be retitled "CESA GAME AWARDS" for its sixth edition in 2002, finally settling on its current title of "Japan Game Awards" starting from the tenth edition, held in 2006.
While it represents the Japanese video game industry, the awards are not limited to Japanese video games, but may also include video games developed by international teams or individuals.

Award Divisions

Games of the Year

The "Games of the Year Division" awards games that have been released during the qualifying period for game consoles, PC or mobile devices. Selection of winning titles is performed by a selection committee, with public voting and sales figures also taken into account. Multiple categories are awarded, with the highest distinction being the "Grand Prize", equivalent to the "Game of the Year" award in other ceremonies and trade publications. While in most categories only one title is awarded, the "Award for Excellence" category includes multiple winners, and the "Grand Prize" has gone to more than one title on multiple occasions. In the 2010 edition, a "Game Designers Award" was introduced, proposed by renowned game developer Masahiro Sakurai after reflecting on the fact that other categories favored games with large sales numbers rather than reflecting the perspective of game creators.

Future Division

This category was established at the 2001 edition of the event. It awards games that have yet to be released, and that are announced or exhibited during the Tokyo Game Show held during the eligible period, based on a public vote held by attendees, in virtue of the games' promise and the voters' anticipation for their release. Games that are not exhibited at Tokyo Game Show are not eligible for selection.

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award (METI Award)

Established at the 2008 edition of the Japan Game Awards, this award is given to both video games and people who significantly contribute to the development of the Japanese video game industry "through creation of excellent products" or those who "expanded the scope of the videogame industry using a new expression or technology". The first recipient of this award was Shigeru Miyamoto.

Discontinued divisions

The following divisions were introduced throughout the history of the Japan Game Awards, but are no longer awarded.

Amateur Division

Established in the 2007 edition by merging the pre-existing "CESA Student Game Awards" and "Game Awards Indies", this division awarded original works that had not been commercially marketed regardless of whether the entrant is a company, a group of people or a single individual. Participants must reside in Japan to be eligible. This division consisted of three categories, awarded by a selection committee: "Grand Award", "Awards for Excellence", and "Honorable Mentions". Starting with the 2024 edition, this category is no longer awarded at the Japan Game Awards, and was instead transferred to the "Kamigame Creator Evolution" contest sponsored by NHK Enterprises, along with the "U18 Division" contest.

U18 Division

This division, established in the 2018 edition, consisted on a contest for game creators under the age of 18. According to the official website of the division, its aim was "discovering the next generation of game creators". Participants could be individuals or teams. Starting with the 2024 edition, this category is no longer awarded at the Japan Game Awards, and was instead transferred to the "Kamigame Creator Evolution" contest sponsored by NHK Enterprises, along with the "Amateur Division" awards.

History

The ceremony was first carried out under the name "CESA Awards" in 1996, and was renamed to "Japan Game Awards" in 1999 for its fourth edition. Starting from the 2003 edition, games considered for awards are usually those released during the previous Japanese fiscal year, between April 1 of the previous year and March 31 of the current year, although earlier editions of the award encompassed the previous calendar year.

CESA Awards '96 (1997)

Held on April 4, 1997. Games eligible were those released during the previous calendar year, between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 1996. The following categories were awarded:
Held on April 3, 1998 at Velfarre. Games eligible were those released during the previous calendar year, between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 1997. The following categories were awarded:
Held on April 2, 1999 at Velfarre. Games eligible were those released during the previous calendar year, between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 1998. A total of 130,186 votes were received for different categories. The following categories were awarded:
Held on March 30, 2000 at the Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho, Tokyo. Games eligible were those released during the previous calendar year, between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 1999. The following categories were awarded:
Held on March 29, 2001 at the Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho, Tokyo. Games eligible were those released during the previous calendar year, between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2000. Unlike previous years, nominees were announced as wel as the winners. The following categories were awarded:
Held on October 28, 2002 at the Hotel Okura Tokyo. Games eligible were those released between January 1, 2001 and March 31, 2002. The following categories were awarded:

Game Awards 2001 - 2002

Held on October 30, 2003 at the ANA Hotel Tokyo in Minato, Tokyo. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2003. The following categories were awarded:

Game Awards 2002 - 2003

Held on October 27, 2004 at the ANA Hotel Tokyo in Minato, Tokyo. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2004. The following categories were awarded:

Game Awards 2003 - 2004

Held on October 27, 2005 at Meguro Gajoen in Meguro, Tokyo. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2005. The following categories were awarded:

Game Awards 2004 - 2005

A ceremony for the "Games of the Year" and "Indies" divisions was held on September 22, 2006 at the Tokyo Game Show event stage. The "Future" division awards were handed out on a separate ceremony on September 24, 2006. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2006.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony was held on September 20, 2007 at the Tokyo Game Show event stage. The "Games of the Year Division" awards were announced during that ceremony, while the ceremonies for the "Amateur Division" and "Future Division" awards were held on September 21 and September 23, 2007 respectively. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2007.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The awards for the "Games of the Year Division" were announced on October 9, 2008 at the Tokyo Game Show event stage. On that same day, the first-ever edition of the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award" was handed out. The "Amateur Division" winners were announced on October 11, 2008, and the "Future Division" ceremony was held on October 12, 2008. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2008. This edition saw the introduction of the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award", with Shigeru Miyamoto as its inaugural recipient.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony was held on September 24, 2009 at the Tokyo Game Show event stage, including the handing out of the "Games of the Year Division" awards as well as the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award". The "Amateur Division" winners were announced on September 26, 2009, and the "Future Division" awards ceremony was held on September 27, 2009. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2009.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The "Games of the Year Division" awards and the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award" were handed out during a ceremony on September 16, 2010 at the Tokyo Game Show event stage. Separate ceremonies were held on September 18 and 19, 2010, in which the "Amateur Division" and "Future Division" awards, respectively, were announced. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2010.
A new "Game Designers Award" category was established, decided by a group of judges selected from the industry. The judges for the 2010 edition were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Hideki Kamiya, Masayoshi Kikuchi, Hifumi Kouno, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama, Jin Fujisawa and Shinji Mikami.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The "Games of the Year Division" awards and the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award" were handed out on September 15, 2011 at the Tokyo Game Show event stage. Separate ceremonies were held on September 17 and 18, 2011, for the "Amateur Division" and "Future Division" awards respectively. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2011.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Hideki Kamiya, Masayoshi Kikuchi, Hifumi Kouno, Masahiro Sakurai, Ryotaro Takahashi, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama, Jin Fujisawa and Shinji Mikami.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony, in which the "Games of the Year Division" and "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry" awards were announced, was held on September 20, 2012 on the Tokyo Game Show event stage, with additional awards on September 22 and 23, 2012. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2012.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Koichi Kawamoto, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Jin Fujisawa and Shinji Mikami.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony, in which the "Games of the Year Division" and "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry" awards were announced, was held on September 19, 2013 on the Tokyo Game Show event stage, with additional awards on September 21 and 22, 2013. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2013.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Masahiro Sakurai, Ryutaro Takahashi, Shu Takumi, Jin Fujisawa and Shinji Mikami.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony, in which the "Games of the Year Division" and "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry" awards were announced, was held on September 18, 2014 on the Tokyo Game Show event stage, with additional awards on September 20 and 21, 2014. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2014.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Masahiro Sakurai, Keiichiro Toyama and Hitoshi Fujisawa.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony, in which the "Games of the Year Division" and "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry" awards were announced, was held on September 17, 2015 on the Tokyo Game Show event stage, with additional awards on September 19 and 20, 2015. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2015.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama, Jin Fujisawa and Shinji Mikami.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony, in which the "Games of the Year Division" awards and the "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award" were handed out, took place on September 15, 2016 on the Tokyo Game Show event stage, with additional ceremonies on September 17, 2016 for the "Amateur Division" awards and September 18, 2016 for the "Future Division" awards. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2016.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Kazuyoshi Odaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama, Jin Fujisawa and Shinji Mikami.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony was held on September 21, 2017, in which the "Games of the Year" and "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry" awards were announced at the Tokyo Game Show venue. On September 23, 2017 the "Amateur Division" awards were handed out, and on September 24, 2017 the "Future Division" awards were announced. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2017.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Kazutaka Kodaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama, Jin Fujisawa, Shinji Mikami and Hidetaka Miyazaki.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The main ceremony was held on September 20, 2018 at the Tokyo Game Show venue, in which the "Games of the Year" and "Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry" awards were announced. On September 22, 2018 the "Amateur Division" awards were handed out, and on September 23, 2018 the "Future Division" awards were announced. Games eligible were those released in the Japanese fiscal year 2018. A new "U18 Division" was introduced in this edition, intended to award game creators under the age of 18.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Fumito Ueda, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Kazuyoshi Odaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama and Hidetaka Miyazaki.
The following categories were awarded:

Games of the Year Division

The 2019 edition was held on September 12, 14 and 15, 2019, during that year's Tokyo Game Show. Games eligible were those released during the Japanese fiscal year 2019.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Kazutaka Kodaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama and Hidetaka Miyazaki.
The following winners were announced:

Games of the Year Division

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of both the Tokyo Game Show and the Japan Game Awards were carried out through online presentations. The award cerenomies were streamed on September 26 and 27, 2020. The "Future Division" awards were not presented in this edition due to the online nature of Tokyo Game Show 2020. For awarded categories, games eligible were those released during the Japanese fiscal year 2020.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Kazutaka Kodaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama, Hidetaka Miyazaki and Yoko Taro.
The following winners were announced:

Games of the Year Division

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of both the Tokyo Game Show and the Japan Game Awards were carried out through online presentations. The award cerenomies were streamed on October 2 and 3, 2021. The "Future Division" awards were again not presented in this edition. Games eligible were those released during the Japanese fiscal year 2021.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Yojiro Ogawa, Hideki Kamiya, Kazutaka Kodaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama and Yoko Taro.
The following winners were announced:

Games of the Year Division

The 2022 edition was held on September 15, 17 and 18, 2022, during that year's Tokyo Game Show. Games eligible were those released during the Japanese fiscal year 2019.
The judges for this edition's "Game Designers Awards" were Kazutoshi Iida, Jiro Ishii, Hideki Kamiya, Kazutaka Kodaka, Masahiro Sakurai, Shu Takumi, Keiichiro Toyama and Yoko Taro.
The following winners were announced:

Games of the Year Division

Period: April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023.
Period: April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2024.
Period: April 1, 2024 - May 31, 2025.