Joint statement by Commissioner Věra Jourová and Personal Information Protection Commissioner Haruhi Kumazawa on state of play of dialogue on #DataProtection

Commissioner Věra Jourová and Japanese Personal Information Protection Commissioner Haruhi Kumazawa held a very constructive meeting in Tokyo with the aim to advance the process towards mutual adequacy findings.

They reaffirmed that a simultaneous finding of an adequate level of protection by both sides will complement and enhance the benefits of the Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and the EU, which is currently proceeding for the signing, and that the finding will also contribute to the strategic partnership between Japan and the EU. They took note of the significant progress achieved in the past months.

They agreed to intensify the work with the shared commitment to complete as soon as possible both procedures – the designation of the European Economic Area by the Personal Information Protection Commission as a foreign country establishing a personal information protection system recognized to have equivalent standards to those in Japan based on Article 24 of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) and the parallel decision by the European Commission that Japan ensures an adequate level of protection of personal data pursuant to Article 45 of the General Data Protection Regulation.

They affirmed that the Personal Information Protection Commission and the European Commission will continue to consult each other with a view to finding mutually acceptable solutions whenever there is a need for cooperation with respect to personal data based on the framework for mutual and smooth transfer of personal data between Japan and the EU.

The full statement is available online and more information on adequacy decisions can found here.

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