Financial News reported on 19 October that Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plan to introduce security certification for data centres and cloud services after fiscal 2027. The assessments would cover operators with data centres in Japan and cloud providers whose servers are in the country.
Officials plan to examine corporate ownership, safeguards against data leaks and equipment suppliers. The government would recommend certified providers to financial and medical institutions and other organisations handling sensitive personal information. Using them would remain voluntary, although companies managing such information would face government scrutiny of their data practices.
The proposed legal changes would require companies storing or providing important personal information to give advance notice. They would also allow the government to issue suspension orders or recommendations when it judges data storage to pose a risk. The Japanese government plans to submit an amendment to the Economic Security Promotion Act during the parliamentary session beginning in January 2027.
