Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Japan Source is an invitation-only marketplace for curated Japanese goods, operated by [Legal entity name — confirm], located at [Registered business address — confirm]. We offer our products to customers in the United States and Japan.

This policy applies to japansource.com and the account, membership, and business-inquiry features on it. It does not cover the separate checkout, payment, and fulfillment service used at the point of purchase, which is operated by a third-party provider under that provider's own privacy terms; we identify it and link to its terms at checkout.

For any privacy request — access, correction, deletion, or suspension of use — contact our privacy point of contact at privacy@japansource.com

2. Information We Collect and Why

We specify the purpose of use for each category of information we collect, and use it only for those purposes.

Account and membership

Name, email address, the invite code used to register, and your account settings. Purpose: to create and manage your member account, verify invitation eligibility, send account-related messages, and maintain the integrity of the membership.

Site interaction

Limited technical data such as pages viewed and general device/browser information, and your IP address in anonymized or aggregated form. Purpose: to operate and secure the site and diagnose problems. We do not build advertising profiles.

Business inquiries

For business (B2B) inquiries, the business name, contact name, email, and anything you include in the form. Purpose: to evaluate and respond to your inquiry.

Marketing attribution (X / Twitter)

When you click a Japan Source link in one of our posts on X (formerly Twitter), the link passes through a first-party redirect at japansource.com that records a pseudonymous click identifier and standard campaign tags (UTM). If you later take an action on our site — create an account, submit a business inquiry, or add an item to your cart — we record that conversion and associate it with the originating click. Purpose: to measure which of our own marketing posts bring people to the site and lead to those actions.

We do not collect your X username, X user ID, or any X account information through this mechanism. The click identifier is random and pseudonymous; it does not identify you by name or email unless you choose to create an account.

Orders

When you purchase, the separate checkout provider collects billing, shipping, and payment details directly. We may receive a record of your order (items, amount, status) to maintain your history and provide support. Purpose: order history and customer service.

3. How We Collect Information

• Directly from you, when you register, submit a form, or contact us.
• Automatically, through server logs and the first-party marketing redirect described above.
• From our checkout provider, when you complete a purchase.

We do not buy, rent, or obtain personal information from data brokers or third-party marketing lists.

4. Tracking Technologies and Cookies

We use a small set of first-party cookies. We use no third-party analytics — no Google Analytics, no advertising pixels, and no third-party tracking tags of any kind. All measurement is first-party.

Marketing attribution cookie

Scope

First-party — set and read only by japansource.com. Never transmitted to X or any third party.

Purpose

Stores the pseudonymous click identifier so a later action on our site can be attributed to the marketing post you came from.

Lifespan

Approximately 90 days, after which it expires.

Session cookies

We set strictly necessary, secure session cookies to keep you signed in. These are required for account functionality and are not used for advertising.

Because we serve only the United States and Japan — and not the EU or UK — we are not required to display a cookie-consent banner. We disclose our first-party cookie use here instead. You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings; doing so may limit account features.

5. We Do Not Sell or Share Your Personal Information

We do not sell, rent, license, trade, or share your personal information with any third party for money or for cross-context behavioral advertising. This applies to every category of information we collect.

For California residents: because we do not "sell" or "share" personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA, no opt-out-of-sale or opt-out-of-sharing right is triggered. You keep all the other rights described below.

Under Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI), we do not provide your personal data to third parties except in the limited circumstances described next.

6. When We May Disclose Information

We disclose personal information only:

• To service providers acting for us (hosting, infrastructure, email delivery, customer support) — strictly to provide those services, under confidentiality obligations.
• To the separate checkout and fulfillment provider, to process and fulfill your order.
• Where required by law, court order, or a governmental authority in the United States or Japan, or to protect the rights and safety of Japan Source, our members, or the public.
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, with notice before your information becomes subject to a different policy.

7. Your Privacy Rights

United States (including California)

• Know and access the personal information we hold about you and how we use it.
• Delete personal information we have collected, subject to legal exceptions.
• Correct inaccurate personal information.
• Non-discrimination: we will not treat you differently for exercising these rights.

Because we do not sell or share personal information, no opt-out-of-sale mechanism is required; we honor all other rights above.

Japan (APPI)

• Request disclosure of the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate information.
• Request suspension of use or deletion where information was collected or used contrary to the stated purpose or applicable law.
• Request that we stop providing your information to third parties.

You may also contact the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) of Japan if you believe we have not handled your information appropriately.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@japansource.com

8. Data Retention

Account information

For as long as your account is active, plus a reasonable period afterward for legal and operational needs.

Marketing attribution data

Approximately 90 days, then deleted or irreversibly aggregated.

Server logs

Approximately 30 days; IP addresses are anonymized.

Order records

As required by applicable tax and commercial law.

9. Where Your Data Is Stored

Customer personal information — names, email addresses, account data, and order history — is stored on servers in the Tokyo, Japan region, in support of our APPI commitments.

Marketing measurement uses only pseudonymous identifiers and aggregated outcomes; we do not transfer customer personal information outside Japan for any third party's independent use.

10. Security

We use appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), authentication tokens stored in secure, HTTP-only cookies, and access controls limiting who can see personal data. No system is perfectly secure; if an incident affects your information, we will notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.

11. Children's Privacy

The site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe a minor has provided us information, contact us and we will delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. We will revise the date above and, for material changes, notify registered members by email or through a notice on the site. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact

[Legal entity name — confirm], [Registered business address — confirm].

Privacy inquiries: privacy@japansource.com