What the Cabinet Secretariat's Data-Request Rules Cover

Japan's Cabinet Secretariat — the body that supports the prime minister and cabinet — has published guidance for anyone who wants to exercise their rights over personal information the secretariat holds. Under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, individuals may request disclosure, correction or suspension of use of records about themselves, and the guidance sets out exactly how those requests must be made. It also explains how applicants can appeal if their requests are rejected.

Requests can be submitted in person at the secretariat's office (1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8968) or by post. Fax and email are not accepted. In both cases, applicants must provide a request form plus identification showing their name and address — options include a driver's licence, health insurance certificate, My Number card, alien registration certificate or resident registration card. Postal applicants must also send copies of that identification, with the insured person symbol and number masked on health insurance certificates, and a copy of their certificate of residence issued within the preceding 30 days.

Each disclosure request carries a 300-yen fee, payable only by revenue stamp affixed to the request form. Because the secretariat delegates disclosure authority to the heads of individual bureaus, requests must be addressed to the head of the bureau that holds the data, following a published list. The secretariat is also required under Article 75 of the law to publish a ledger of the personal information files it holds.

Once a request is accepted, the bureau head must normally make a disclosure or non-disclosure decision within 30 days and notify the applicant in writing. Correction and suspension-of-use requests must be filed within 90 days of receiving the disclosure. If an applicant disagrees with a decision, they may seek an administrative review by the prime minister or bring an action in the Tokyo District Court, or in the district court covering their ordinary place of residence.

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How the 30-Day and 90-Day Deadlines Shape the Process

Why Requests Must Name the Right Bureau

The secretariat says it has delegated authority for disclosure decisions to the heads of each bureau to clarify responsibility and improve administrative efficiency. For applicants, that means addressing the request to the correct bureau is not a formality — the published address list is an essential step. Sending a request to a general secretariat address risks routing delays, even though the statutory response period is only 30 days in principle.

The 90-Day Limit Puts the Burden on the Applicant

The most consequential deadline for individuals is not the decision period but the 90-day window for correction and suspension-of-use requests after a disclosure is received. The official guidance states that requests made after that period will not be accepted. That suggests applicants should review disclosed records quickly and treat the 90-day limit as a hard cutoff, not an administrative guideline.

Identity Checks Reflect the Sensitivity of the Data

The requirement to attach a recent residence certificate for postal applications, and to mask insurance symbols and numbers on health insurance certificate copies, shows the secretariat is trying to balance the applicant's right to access with protection against fraudulent requests involving someone else's personal information. The same logic explains why fax and email submissions are excluded: paper-based procedures are easier to verify through the channels the secretariat has chosen. None of these verification steps are stated as optional.

How to File a Request in Practice

  • Identify the bureau that most likely holds the data and address the request to its head, using the Cabinet Secretariat's published list of disclosure-request recipients.
  • Use the official disclosure request form and attach identification showing your name and address; for postal submissions, add a residence certificate issued within the last 30 days and mask the insured person symbol and number on any health insurance certificate copy.
  • Affix a 300-yen revenue stamp for each disclosure request — the fee is collected only by revenue stamp, and fax or email submissions are not accepted.
  • After receiving a disclosure, decide quickly whether correction or suspension of use is needed: those requests must be filed within 90 days of the disclosure decision.
  • If a request is refused, you can file a review request with the prime minister or sue in the Tokyo District Court or the district court for your place of residence.