Full PlayStation Network Services Return in Japan on July 6

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that only on July 6 the full features of the PlayStation Network will again be available on the Japanese market, meaning that players in that part of the world will be the last to regain access to the service after the late April security breach.

The PSN outage was longer in Japan than in Europe or in North America because the Japanese government, through the Ministry of Economy, has told Sony in clear terms that it could only restart its online service if it proved that it has taken all the necessary measures needed to keep safe the personal data of those who actually use it.

In late May, Japanese gamers were given access to the multiplayer side of the PSN, allowing them to take part in online games, but access to the store and to download services was still locked.

On June 2, the service was restored in its entirety in North America and in Europe, but also in some parts of Asia.

Tomorrow those using the PlayStation Network in Japan will be able to access the online store and make purchases and they will also be able to use Media Go and Qriocity for audio and video.

In late April, the PSN was attacked and the hackers managed to get access to more than 70 million user accounts, including personal and financial information.

Sony handled the crisis rather poorly in the first few days and a lot of customers complained that they were never aware that details about them had been exposed.

Since then the company has enhanced the security efforts linked to the PSN and has also upgraded security on the PlayStation 3 through firmware updates.

The company has also launched a Welcome Back program designed to restore the trust of gamers, complete with free games and access to the Plus program of the PSN.

Howard Stringer, Sony's leader, has apologized for how the company reacted initially and vowed to make all its services more secure for the future.