Japan: Guidance issued by Japanese Personal Information Protection Commission as part of ongoing investigation into LINE for allegedly illegal data transfer

On 23 April 2021, the Japanese Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) issued guidance to the LINE messaging app as part of its investigation concerning LINE's compliance with the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI). The PPC opened its investigation on 26 March 2021 for an allegedly illegal data transfer that happened on 17 March 2018. Specifically, a violation of Articles 22 and 24 APPI is alleged. The PPC now obliged LINE to monitor its contractors and improve its data transfer system. The legal basis for such guidance is Article 41 of APPI.