Shinagawa City Ordinance on Public Information and Protection of Individual Information Revised

In 1998, an ordinance unifying the Public Information system and the Protection of Individual Information system was established, and the city has continued to promote transparency in its administration and the participation of city residents in city government while considering the proper handling of individual information of all residents.
Under this system, for example, we have dealt with the personal information of foreign residents with strict accuracy and confidentiality, and the use of such information for purposes other than those stated is forbidden.
With the recent growth of advanced information technology in society, large amounts of high-level information are transferred at great speed across a broad range of fields and the processing of individual information needs to be handled with more care than ever before.
Due to these social conditions, the ordinance has been revised to facilitate the smooth operation of city administration while protecting individual information even more, thus gaining the trust of all city residents.

Main Revisions

An Individual Information File List Has Been Published and Is Open to the Public
“Individual Information” refers to information that identifies a specific individual, such as name, address and telephone number. The Individual Information File List, which shows what type of individual information the city has in storage, can be viewed freely at the City Administration Data Corner (City Office Dai-san Chosha 3F).
*The Individual Information File List shows the type, purpose and storage method of individual information the city office has, but does not show information that can identify individuals. All information is written in Japanese.

You Can Request a Revision or Cancellation Concerning Usage of Your Own Information
Although it has been possible to request the opening and revision of your own individual information until now, the new ordinance also makes it possible to stop the provision and use of information to, or by, outside sources if individual information that the city office has in storage is obtained illegally or given to outside sources for purposes other than the stated objective.

Leakage of Individual Information Will Be Penalized
To prevent accidents involving individual information and to handle problems such as leakages firmly, penal provisions were established for city employees and commissioned company employees contracted by the city.
If a city employee takes any illegal action, such as leaking confidential information, inappropriately providing or stealing individual information, he/she will be penalized with a maximum of two years in prison or up to ¥1,000,000 in fines.
In addition, disclosure of individual information through inappropriate means will be punished with a fine of up to ¥50,000.
For more information: Public Relations Section, Tel: 5742-6613