Japan Data Removal Guide (2026)
Residents of Japan have statutory APPI procedures for requesting disclosure, correction, and cessation or deletion in circumstances specified by the Act. Commercial-list and directory requests should use the provider's current route and the request type that fits the record.
Research status: sources last checked 2026-09-07.
This page is educational orientation, not legal advice. The legal fields below are a research snapshot; eligibility, exemptions, deadlines, penalty rules and broker routes can change. Verify the current statute and regulator guidance before relying on a right or filing a complaint.
This is the PPC's general APPI inquiry page, not a dedicated individual-complaint portal. The PPC directs specific complaints to the company involved, an accredited personal-information protection organization, local government consumer centers, or the National Consumer Affairs Center (NCAC).
At a glance
- Governing law
- APPI
- Response deadline
- Applicable disclosure, correction, and utilization-stop responses are handled without delay; the APPI does not set one universal fixed deadline for every request
- Regulator
- Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC / ๅไบบๆ ๅ ฑไฟ่ญทๅงๅกไผ)
- Private right of action
- Civil remedies may depend on the facts and applicable law; an APPI request does not itself guarantee damages or a private award
Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI / ๅไบบๆ ๅ ฑไฟ่ญทๆณ)
The APPI (Act No. 57 of 2003; the 2020 amendment took effect in 2022, while the 2021 amendment was implemented in phases, including nationwide public-sector changes that took effect on 1 April 2023) sets duties for business operators handling personal information in Japan. The PPC supervises the framework. Disclosure, correction, and cessation or deletion requests are subject to the APPI conditions, exceptions, identity checks, and the provider's current procedure; the law does not make every broker listing removable on demand. A further amendment was promulgated in July 2026, but the PPC says related rules are still being prepared and the general commencement window is within two years, so check current official guidance.
Read the full APPIexplainer โScope, penalties, private right of action, enforcement history.
What rights do Japan residents have?
- โRight to request notification of the purpose of use (Article 32)
- โRight to disclosure of retained personal data and records of third-party provision (Article 33)
- โRight to correction, addition, or deletion of inaccurate personal data (Article 34)
- โRight to request cessation of use or erasure when handling violates statutory limits (Article 35(1)-(2))
- โRight to request cessation of provision to third parties (Article 35(3)-(5))
- โRight to request procedures that do not impose an excessive burden (Articles 32 and 37)
Who holds your data in Japan?
A request may involve a Japanese commercial-list, directory, business-information, or international data provider. First identify whether the provider is an APPI business operator, what retained personal data it controls, how the data was obtained, and whether the requested disclosure, correction, utilization stop, erasure, or third-party-provision stop fits the statutory conditions. A provider-level result does not automatically change an underlying public or corporate record or another copy.
Public-record sources brokers scrape
- Commercial-list, directory, and business-information providers; verify the provider's current procedure and APPI coverage
- Public or corporate records; correction or suppression depends on source-specific rules and the record custodian
- Telephone and directory services; use the carrier or directory provider's current listing procedure
- International data brokers; check conditional Article 171 coverage and the provider's current route
How to remove your data in Japan
- 1Identify the operator and select the request that fits: purpose notice, disclosure, correction or deletion of inaccurate data, utilization stop or erasure, or third-party-provision stop. Article 34 or 35 conditions and exceptions matter; the APPI does not guarantee deletion of every listing.
- 2Use the provider's current route and follow its identity, fee, and procedure requirements. APPI operators must avoid imposing an excessive burden, but procedures can differ.
- 3For phone or directory listings, contact the carrier or directory provider about its current listing or unlisted procedure; changing a provider listing does not necessarily amend the source record.
- 4For a foreign broker, check whether it handles personal information of a person in Japan in connection with supplying goods or services in Japan under Article 171. If it does, use its current APPI or privacy route and preserve evidence.
- 5For a specific dispute, first contact the company. The PPC says its inquiry line explains the APPI in Japanese, while specific complaints may be directed to the company, an accredited personal-information-protection organization, a local government or consumer center, or NCAC. No channel guarantees an individual deletion outcome.
Generate requests in under 60 seconds
Generate requests for 1,034 US/global broker workflows for $9
What if a company ignores your request?
Consider the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC / ๅไบบๆ ๅ ฑไฟ่ญทๅงๅกไผ) information or complaint route above if the controller does not respond or the response is unsatisfactory. This guide records the following penalty orientation: For certain corporate criminal offenses, up to ยฅ100 million; PPC administrative orders and other sanctions depend on the violation. The private-action note is: Civil remedies may depend on the facts and applicable law; an APPI request does not itself guarantee damages or a private award. Neither field is an individual award or a promise of enforcement.
Open the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC / ๅไบบๆ ๅ ฑไฟ่ญทๅงๅกไผ) information or complaint route โFAQ: Japan data removal
What is the opt-out mechanism under Article 27(2) of Japan's APPI?+
Article 27(2) is a statutory opt-out framework that can permit certain third-party provision when the operator gives the required notice or public information and files with the PPC. It is not a universal consumer deletion right; use the operator's current request route and check whether the provider actually operates under this framework.
Does the APPI apply to foreign data brokers collecting data on Japanese residents?+
Potentially, but only conditionally. Article 171 can apply when a foreign business operator handles personal information of a person in Japan outside Japan in connection with supplying goods or services to a person in Japan. It does not automatically cover every foreign site, every broker, or every activity.