First review issued on the EU-Japan mutual adequacy arrangement



The EU and Japan have issued a joint press statement on the first review of the EU-Japan mutual adequacy arrangement for data transfers. The parties said on 4 April that convergence between the EU and Japan’s data protection frameworks has further increased in the past years, and that the mutual adequacy arrangement is functioning well.

Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice said: “With the successful conclusion of the first review of our mutual adequacy arrangement, Japan and the EU reaffirm that, in the digital era, maintaining high data protection standards and facilitating international trade should and can go hand in hand. In the past years, our respective data protection systems have come even closer, creating further opportunities for cooperation at bilateral and multilateral level. By working together, we can shape the global standards for data protection and show common leadership in this strategic area”.

Mieko Tanno, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission of Japan (PPC) reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to this bilateral cooperation, and said that it will also continue the joint efforts at global level, including by promoting the concept of Data Free Flow with Trust.
Under the GDPR, the EU Commission carries out a first review three years after the adoption of an adequacy decision and subsequently at least every four years. The EU adopted Japan’s adequacy decision in January 2019.

The EU Commission is yet to issue its assessment of the adequacy decisions that were adopted before the GDPR took effect. For example, the decision on Israel dates back to 2011, and the New Zealand decision to 2013.

In December 2022, the EU adopted a draft decision on the United States, and it is expected that the final decision will be adopted this summer.

See: Joint Press Statement on the conclusion of the first review of the Japan-EU mutual adequacy arrangement

Privacy Laws & Business 36th International Conference, 3-5 July 2023 in Cambridge, UK, will have the following sessions on international data flows;
• EU-US Data Privacy Framework and its implementation
• How Mexico’s regulatory framework facilitates Data Free Flow with Trust Worldwide