As the proportion of our lives that is digitally recorded, processed, and stored continues to rise, so does the need to protect that data and how it is used. A series of amendments to Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) came into effect at the start of this month, significantly altering the landscape for companies that collect data from their customers, business partners, or anyone else they interact with.

The changes take the Japanese regulatory environment closer to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, there are differences, and European companies with operations in Japan now need to be in compliance with the new local regime.