japan-appi
Japan APPI Compliance (2022 Amendments)
Overview
The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI, 個人情報の保護に関する法律) was originally enacted in 2003, substantially reformed in 2015 (effective May 2017), and further amended in 2020 (effective 1 April 2022). The 2022 amendments significantly strengthened individual rights, tightened cross-border transfer requirements, expanded the scope of anonymously processed information, and introduced the concept of pseudonymously processed information.
The Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC, 個人情報保護委員会) is the independent supervisory authority with rulemaking, enforcement, and international cooperation functions.
Japan received an EU adequacy decision on 23 January 2019, enabling free flow of personal data between the EU/EEA and Japan under supplementary rules adopted by the PPC.