Integrating Children’s Privacy Rights into Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information

The Overlooked Contributions of Privacy Advocates, 1970s–2003

Abstract

This article explores the overlooked role of children’s privacy rights in Japan’s data protection movement from the 1970s to the 1990s, linking it to current privacy and data protection reforms. In June 2024, Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission recommended amending the 2003 Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) to include specific protections for children, citing international frameworks and foreign examples. However, this article demonstrates that the recommendation is not simply a response to international pressure but is deeply rooted in domestic history. Beginning in the early 1970s, privacy advocates responded to state and corporate overreach, raising growing concerns about the misuse of children’s data for purposes of marketing, law enforcement, and school record management. Although children’s privacy rights were not codified at the time, these advocates brought attention to cases of privacy infringement, sparking debates on children’s informational self-determination and autonomy. These debates are now resurfacing in current discussions, particularly around the My Number (マイ･ナンバー mai nambā) system. The article emphasizes that Japan’s renewed focus on children’s privacy is the product of decades of domestic advocacy. Ultimately, the growing call to protect children’s data reflects not only international influence but also sustained grassroots efforts by parents, educators, and legal scholars pushing back against top-down control and demanding greater self-determination in the digital age.