October 12, 2021 Organizing Study Group on Utilizing Post Office Data and Ideal Privacy Protection

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) will organize a Study Group on Utilizing Post Office Data and Ideal Privacy Protection to promote the effective use of data held by the Japan Post Group while ensuring the confidentiality of correspondence and the protection of personal information.

1. Background and purpose

In view of recent developments, including a document entitled “Final Report of the Roundtable Conference on the Ideal Postal Services in the Digital Age” (published on July 21, 2021) and the Act Partially Amending the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 44 of 2020), etc., it has become necessary to take appropriate measures, including the revision of the Guidelines for the Protection of Personal Information in the Postal Service Sector (MIC Notice No. 167 of 2017, hereafter referred to as the “Postal Service Sector Guidelines”) to promote the effective use of data held by the Japan Post Group, while ensuring the confidentiality of correspondence and the protection of personal information. That is why MIC has decided to organize the Study Group on Utilizing Post Office Data and Ideal Privacy Protection to balance the effective use of data held and acquired by post offices considering privacy protection.

2. Study contents

• 1.
  Revision of Postal Service Sector Guidelines based on the revision of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003)
• 2.
  Clarifying the relationship between the effective use of data held and obtained by post offices and the Act on the Protection of Personal Information and the Postal Act
• 3.
  Organizing the roles of related parties and measures to be implemented for the effective use of post office data
• 4.
  Others

3. Review system

• *
  The published material is in Japanese only.

4. Period

Scheduled to be held from October 2021 through July 2022 (the first meeting will be held on October 15).