Act on the Protection of Personal Information

The decisions referred to in the items of the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as a "decisions on correction" in this Section) must be made within thirty days from the date of a request for correction; provided, however, that if an amendment is requested pursuant to the provisions of Article 91, paragraph (3), the number of days required for that amendment is not included within this period of time.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if there are justifiable grounds such as difficulties arising from conducting processes, an administrative organ's head or administrative entity may extend the period of time prescribed in that paragraph for up to thirty days. In this case, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity must notify the person requesting correction in writing of the extended period and the grounds for the extension.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding Article, if an administrative organ's head or administrative entity finds that to make a decision on correction would require a particularly long period of time, it is sufficient for them to make a decision on correction within a reasonable period of time. In this case, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity must notify the person requesting correction in writing of the following matters within the period of time prescribed in paragraph (1) of that Article:

the application of this Article and the grounds for its application;

due date for making a decision on correction.

An administrative organ's head or administrative entity may transfer the case to another head or entity upon consulting them, if the personal information the administrative entity holds that is subject to a request for correction is disclosed pursuant to Article 85, paragraph (3), or there are justifiable grounds for that other head or entity to make a decision on correction. In this case, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity that has transferred the case must notify the person requesting correction to the effect that the case has been transferred in writing.

If a case has been transferred pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity to which the case has been transferred must make a decision on correction in relation to the relevant request for correction. In this case, actions that the administrative organ's head or administrative entity that has transferred the case has made prior to the transfer are deemed to be those that the administrative organ's head or administrative entity to which the case has been transferred has made.

In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, when the administrative organ's head or administrative entity to which the case has been transferred makes a decision referred to in Article 93, paragraph (1) (hereinafter referred to as a "decision to make a correction" in this paragraph and the following Article), the administrative organ's head or administrative entity that has transferred the case must implement the correction based on that decision to make a correction.

If an administrative organ's head or administrative entity has implemented a correction of personal information the administrative entity holds based on a decision to make a correction, and the head or entity finds it necessary to do so, they must give a notification to that effect in writing without delay to a party to which the personal information the administrative entity holds has been provided.

Any person who thinks that personal information an administrative entity holds by which that person is identifiable falls under any of the following items may make a request for the measures specified in those items to the administrative organ's head or administrative entity that holds the personal information, pursuant to the provisions of this Act; provided, however, that this does not apply if a special procedure for ceasing to use personal information the administrative entity holds, deleting that personal information, or ceasing to provide that personal information (hereinafter referred to as "ceasing to use personal information" in this Section) is prescribed by other laws and regulations:

A request for ceasing to use personal information must be made within ninety days from the date of disclosure of the personal information the administrative entity holds.

For a request for ceasing to use personal information, a document describing the matters listed in the following (referred to as a "written request for ceasing to use personal information" in paragraph (3)) must be submitted to the administrative organ's head or administrative entity:

the name and address or residence of the person making a request for ceasing to use personal information;

the date of disclosure of the personal information the administrative entity holds that is subject to the request for ceasing to use personal information, and other matters sufficient for specifying that personal information;

an outline of the request for ceasing to use personal information and the grounds for it.

In the case referred to in the preceding paragraph, the person making a request for ceasing to use personal information must present or submit a document to indicate that the person is identifiable by the personal information the administrative entity holds that is subject to the request for the cessation (or the agent of the identifiable person, in the case of a request for ceasing to use personal information that is made pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of the preceding Article).

When an administrative organ's head or administrative entity finds that there is a formal deficiency of a written request for ceasing to use personal information, the head or entity may ask the person having made the request for ceasing to use personal information (hereinafter referred to as a "person making a request for ceasing to use personal information" in this Section) to amend that request, by setting a reasonable period of time.

When a request for ceasing to use personal information is filed, and an administrative organ 's head or administrative entity finds that there are grounds for the request, the head or entity must cease to use the personal information the administrative entity holds that is subject to the request within the scope necessary for ensuring the proper handling of personal information in the administrative entity to which the administrative organ's head or administrative entity belongs; provided, however, that this does not apply if it is found that ceasing to use the personal information the administrative entity holds is likely to hinder the proper execution of the process or service relating to the purpose of use of that personal information due to their nature.

When ceasing to use personal information an administrative entity holds that is subject to a request for ceasing to use personal information, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity must make a decision to that effect, and notify the person making a request for the cessation to that effect in writing.

When not ceasing to use personal information an administrative entity holds that is subject to a request for ceasing to use personal information, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity must make a decision to that effect, and notify the person making a request for the cessation to that effect in writing.

A decision set forth in the paragraphs of the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as a "decision on ceasing to use personal information" in this Section) must be made within thirty days from the date of a request for ceasing to use personal information; provided, however, that in cases in which an amendment is requested pursuant to the provisions of Article 99, paragraph (3), the number of days required for the amendment is not included within that period of time.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if there are justifiable grounds such as difficulties arising from conducting processes, an administrative organ's head or administrative entity may extend the period of time prescribed in that paragraph for up to thirty days. In this case, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity must notify the person making a request for ceasing to use personal information in writing of the extended period and the grounds for the extension, without delay.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding Article, if an administrative organ's head or administrative entity finds that making a decision on ceasing to use personal information would require a particularly long period of time, it is sufficient for them to make a decision on ceasing to use the personal information within a reasonable period of time. In this case, the administrative organ's head or administrative entity must notify the person making a request for ceasing to use the personal information in writing of the following matters within the period of time prescribed in paragraph (1) of that Article:

the application of this Article and the grounds for its application;

the due date for making a decision on ceasing to use the personal information.

The provisions of Article 9, Article 17, Article 24, Chapter II, Sections 3 and 4, and Article 50, paragraph (2) of the Administrative Complaint Review Act (Act No. 68 of 2014) do not apply to an appeal for review to any inaction of an administrative organ's head or administrative entity (excluding a local government organ or a local incorporated administrative agency; the same applies in the following paragraph and the following Article) in relation to a decision on disclosure, a decision on correction, a decision on ceasing to use personal information, or in relation to a request for disclosure, a request for correction, or a request for ceasing to use personal information.

When applying the provisions in Chapter II of the Administrative Complaint Review Act to an appeal for review to any inaction of an administrative organ's head or administrative entity in relation to a decision on disclosure, a decisions on correction, a decision ceasing to use personal information, or in relation to a request for disclosure, a request for correction, or a request for ceasing to use personal information, the term "a person who has been designated pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (1) (hereinafter referred to as a "review officer)" in Article 11, paragraph (2) of that Act is deemed to be replaced with "an administrative agency (including an administrative agency that takes over the appeal for review pursuant to the provisions in Article 14; hereinafter referred to as a "reviewing agency") to which an appeal for review has been filed pursuant to the provisions in Article 4 (including a Cabinet Order issued pursuant to Article 107, paragraph (2) of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003)"); the term "review officer" in Article 13, paragraphs (1) and (2) of that Act is deemed to be replaced with the term "reviewing agency"; the phrase "has been filed or a written opinion to suggest the necessity to order a stay of execution as prescribed in Article 40 has been submitted by a review officer" in Article 25, paragraph (7) of that Act is deemed to be replaced with "has been filed"; the term "Administrative Complaint Review Board, etc." in Article 44 of that Act is deemed to be replaced with "Information Disclosure and Personal Information Protection Review Board (or a review board specified by another law if the President of the Board of Audit is the reviewing agency, the same applies in Article 50, paragraph (1), item (iv))"; in that Article, the phrase "has received a report to its consultation from the Administrative Complaint Review Board, etc. (or when a review officer's written opinion has been submitted in cases in which the consultation pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) of the preceding Article is not necessary (excluding the cases falling under item (ii) or (iii) of that paragraph), or when deliberations prescribed in item (ii) or (iii) of that paragraph have been held in the cases falling under item (ii) or (iii) of that paragraph)" is deemed to be replaced with "has received a report to its consultation from the Administrative Complaint Review Board, etc."; and the term "the review officer's written opinion or the written report from the Administrative Complaint Review Board, etc. or the Council, etc." in Article 50, paragraph (1), item (iv) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "the Information Disclosure and Personal Information Protection Review Board".