From Likes To Liability: Navigating Online Conduct And Privacy In Japan

The increasing prevalence of social media use has transformed how individuals communicate and consume information. It has also created new risks for employers as any potential misuse by employees can have serious implications for the workplace environment (and potentially an employer's reputation).

At the same time, Japan has recently introduced new rules expanding flexible work opportunities (we wrote about these previously here), with further changes due to come into effect from October 2025. While these changes reflect a broader shift towards accommodating diverse work styles, this global trend has seen an accompanying rise in employee monitoring practices by employers (where direct supervision is otherwise not as easy). In Japan, some organisations may look to increased surveillance in response to the potential change in work dynamics that flexible and remote working arrangements can bring.