The European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, and the Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission of Japan (PPC), Ms Mieko Tanno, welcomed the successful conclusion of the first review of the Japan-EU mutual adequacy arrangement. In 2019, the EU and Japan recognised each other's data protection systems as 'equivalent', allowing personal data to flow freely between them. The review demonstrated that the convergence between the EU and Japan's data protection frameworks has increased.

The mutual adequacy arrangement functions well, benefiting citizens and businesses significantly. Both sides agreed to explore the possibility of expanding the scope of the EU adequacy decision for Japan to boost research and regulatory cooperation. The EU and Japan also agreed to deepen their cooperation on data protection and promote adopting international standards in this field.