Data Protection: Japan

(asked on 9th March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if UK citizens’ data could be transferred under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement from Japan to third countries with lower levels of data protection.


Answered by
John Whittingdale Portrait
John Whittingdale
This question was answered on 17th March 2021

Transfers of personal data from the UK to third countries are regulated under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, not free trade agreements.

The UK-Japan CEPA does not change the current position in relation to onward transfers of UK personal data from Japan. Transfers of personal data from the UK to Japan are governed by the preserved effect of the EU’s adequacy decision for Japan. This recognises that the Japanese data regime provides appropriate protections when personal data is transferred from Japan to third countries.

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