The EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and
the European Union ("EU") recently came
into force, creating the world's biggest open trading zone that
covers 635 million people and almost one-third of the world's
total GDP. In the shadow of that agreement, however, another
development—the mutual acknowledgment of data protection
standards—took place, which should not be overlooked because
it sets another world record. On January 23, 2019, the European
Commission adopted its adequacy decision on Japan, acknowledging
that Japan provides for an adequate level of data protection.
Similarly, effective January 23, 2019, the Japanese independent
data protection authority, the Personal Information Protection
Commission ("PPC"), has also designated
countries within the European Economic Area as having an equivalent
level of data protection. This mutual acknowledgement created what
is being referred to as the "largest area of safe data
transfer" in the world.
