Announcement under the "Act on the Protection of Personal Information"

We (“Gakken” or “we”), hereby make an “announcement” of the following matters pursuant to the provisions of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (“Act”). (The following matters include those which are legally required to “be put into a state where the principal can know (including those cases where a response will be made at a principal’s request without delay).”)

1. Matters Concerning Disclosure of the Purposes of Use of Personal Information

(1) Purposes of use where we directly receive personal information other than in writing (including on the Internet) or where we indirectly obtain personal information (Article 21.1 of the Act)

If we directly receive personal information from our customer (“you”) in writing (including on the Internet), we will explicitly inform you of the purposes of use in each case (Article 21.2 of the Act).

If we otherwise but directly receive or indirectly obtain information, we will handle such personal information within the scope of the limitation of the following purposes of use (Article 21.1 of the Act).

Purposes of use:

  • To deliver goods and services you use and settle and manage payments
  • To provide information on goods, services and various campaigns of us or our affiliates
  • To use as a reference for planning and to facilitate planning and developments, etc.
  • To make a response to inquiries
  • To conduct a questionnaire or survey
  • To create statistical or marketing materials

(2) “Purposes of use” of entrusted “personal information” (Articles 21.1 and 27.5 (i) of the Act)

Gakken will use personal information that we are entrusted by any of our affiliates, etc. within the scope of the limitation required for the achievement of purposes contracted therewith.

2. Regarding the “Retained Personal Data” (Article 32.1 of the Act)

(1) Matters which are legally required to “be put into a state where the principal can know” (Article 32.1 of the Act)

Gakken discloses the following matters in acquiring personal data owned by customers.

1. Name and address of the company handling personal information and name of representative Gakken Products Support Co., Ltd.
2-11-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Yoshinobu Adachi, Representative Director
2. Purposes of the use of all retained personal data (except for the cases applicable to conditions for exemption in Article 21.4 of the Act) Refer to 2. (2).
3. Procedures for requests for notification, disclosure and modification, etc. of the purposes of use, suspension of use, etc. and suspension of provision to third parties Refer to 4. Matters Related to the Procedures, Etc., to Respond to “Request for Disclosure, Etc.” (Article 37 of the Act).
4. Matters required to ensure proper handling of retained personal data other than those stated in the preceding three items Refer to 2. (3).
Refer to 5. Matters Regarding Contact Point for “Complaint” Handling (Article 32.1 (iv) of the Act).

(2) Purposes of use of “retained personal data” (Article 32.1 (ii) of the Act)

Our “purposes of use” of “retained personal data” are as follows. We will inform you whenever such data is collected for other purposes.

Purposes of use:

  • To deliver goods and services you use and settle and manage payments
  • To provide information on goods, services and various campaigns of us or our affiliates
  • To use as a reference for planning and to facilitate planning and developments, etc.
  • To make a response to inquiries
  • To conduct a questionnaire or survey
  • To create statistical or marketing materials

(3) Measures taken for the security management of retained personal data (Article 32.1 (iv) of the Act)

Gakken has taken the following measures for the proper handling of personal information.

  • Compliance with relevant laws, regulations and guidelines
  • Establishment of procedures for personal information handling
  • Assignment of personnel responsible for personal information handling
  • Periodical survey on the status of personal information handling
  • Provision of periodical training on personal information handling to employees
  • Restriction of unauthorized access
  • Measures to prevent devices, electronic media, etc. with which personal information is handled from being stolen or lost, among others

3. Regarding the “Third Party Provision”(Article 27 of the Act)

(1) Proper management

We will properly manage any personal information that we receive from you and will not provide any third party with such information without obtaining your prior consent except cases where:

  • Such provision is required by laws or regulations;
  • There is a need to protect a human life, body or property, and it is difficult to obtain the principal’s consent;
  • There is a special need to enhance public hygiene or promote fostering healthy children, and it is difficult to obtain the principal’s consent; and

There is a need to cooperate with a central government organization or a local government or a person engaged by such organization or government in performing affairs prescribed by laws or regulations, and if the principal’s consent is obtained, there would be a likelihood of impeding the proper execution of said affairs.

(2) Joint usage

In the case where we use personal data jointly with our affiliates, we will inform you of the fact that the data is used jointly with our affiliates, types of data that are jointly used, scope of joint users, purposes of use by the users and the name and address of the entity responsible for the management of the personal data and the name of its representative, or will post such information on the website.

(3) Records of third party provision

In the case where personal data is provided to a third party after obtaining the customer’s prior consent, we will record the date when the personal data is provided, name and address of the third party and the name of its representative, name of the principal, types of provided personal data and the consent of the principal in writing or by an electromagnetic recording method (hereinafter referred to as the “records of third party provision”).

4. Matters Related to the Procedures, Etc., to Respond to “Request for Disclosure, Etc.” (Article 37.1 of the Act)

We will respond to a request by the principal or his/her representative / attorney, for the disclosure of, corrections to, additions to, deletion of or suspension of use of retained personal data or records of third party provision or suspension of provision thereof to third parties (hereinafter referred to as the “request for disclosure, etc.”) as follows.

(1) Information that will be subject to request for disclosure, etc. (i.e., information that may serve to identify the relevant “retained personal data” and “records of third party provision”)

The principal or his/her representative / attorney making a “request for disclosure, etc.” is required to identify information that will be subject thereto.

Information within “retained personal data” that will be subject to “request for disclosure, etc.” includes:

* Please kindly note that the above items of retained personal data are not necessarily fully kept by us. Any or some of them may not be kept by us.

(2) Addressee of the application for “request for disclosure, etc.”

Please send the request for disclosure, etc. to the following address.

Mail to: Gakken Group Customer Center
2-11-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8510

(3) Method of making a “request for disclosure, etc.”

When you make a “request for disclosure, etc.,” please download the application form (for more details, please see “A” below); fill the application form; and send it to the address specified in 4. (2) together with any of the identification documents (for more details, please see “B” below).
We would appreciate it if you could state in red letters on the envelope that “Disclosure request application form is enclosed”.

A. Application form prescribed by us

B. Identification documents

One copy of the driving license, passport or any other documentation issued by a public agency

(4) “Request for disclosure, etc.” by a representative or attorney

If a representative or attorney acting on behalf of the principal (i.e., legal representative for a minor or adult ward or attorney acting on his/her client’s behalf) files an application form for “request for disclosure, etc.,” such representative or attorney is required to enclose the following documents (for more details, please see A and B below) in addition to the documents specified in (3) above.

A. In case of a legal representative

  • One copy of a document which shows that such representative has the power of legal representative
    (i.e., one copy of the family register; in case of an individual with parental authority, a copy of a health insurance card which states his/her dependent family member(s) is also admissible); and
  • One copy of a document that shows the identification of the legal representative who is acting on behalf of a minor or adult ward
    (i.e., one copy of the legal representative’s driving license, passport or any other documentation issued by a public agency)

B. In case of an attorney

  • One copy of the certificate of a seal impression of the principal; and
  • One copy of the document to show the identification of the attorney
    (i.e., the attorney’s driving license, passport or any other documentation issued by a public agency)

(5) Fee for “request for disclosure, etc.” and payment method

We will request you to pay 820 JPY per application (including postage stamp fees required for registered mail) for a request of notification of the purposes of use of retained personal data, or disclosure of retained personal data or records of third party provision.
Please enclose postage stamps in the amount of the above fee (which includes registered mail fees) in the envelop that contains the application form and required documentation.

* Please note that if the amount of the enclosed postage stamps is not enough to cover the fee or no postage stamps are enclosed, we will inform the applicant of the situation. If the applicant fails to pay the fee within the period subsequently specified by us, we would assume that no request for disclosure, etc. is made.

(6) Manner in which we will respond to the “request for disclosure, etc.”

We will send a response in writing or by electromagnetic means to the address specified in the application form sent by the applicant.

(7) “Purposes of use” of personal information that we obtain during the course of handling your “request for disclosure, etc.”

We will handle personal information that we receive in connection with “request for disclosure, etc.” within the scope necessary for such request. We will keep such documents we received, for two years after we respond to the “request for disclosure, etc.,” and we will dispose of such documents subsequently.

(8) Noncompliance with your request to disclose “retained personal data”

We will not comply with your request to disclose retained personal data if any of the following applies. When we decide not to disclose retained personal data, we will inform you of our decision with the reason. Please note that even if we decide not to disclose, we will charge you the prescribed fee.

  • If we are unable to confirm the identification of the person who makes the request (for example, the address stated in the disclosure request application form or the address stated in any identification document differs from the address previously notified to us);
  • If we are unable to confirm the power of representative or attorney if the request is made by a representative or attorney;
  • If there is a data entry omission in the prescribed request form;
  • If any information requested does not fall under the category of “retained personal data”;
  • If the “retained personal data” does not exist;
  • If the disclosure could damage to the life, body, property or other rights or interests of the principal or any third party;
  • If the disclosure could seriously impede the proper execution of our business; or
  • If the disclosure could violate other laws or regulations.

5. Matters Regarding Contact Point for “Complaint” Handling (Article 32.1 (iv) of the Act)

We will accept your complaint regarding the handling of personal information as stated below:

(1) Contact point on our website:

(2) By letter:

Address: Gakken Group Customer Center
2-11-8 Nishigotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8510

(3) No phone or visit to us:

Please kindly note that we cannot accept your complaint by phone or through personal visit.

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