Under Art. 28 of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, the transfer of personal data to a third party in a foreign jurisdiction generally requires the explicit consent of the data subject. This requirement does not apply, however, in certain cases. One such case is where the recipient is located in a country or region designated by the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) as having a data protection regime that provides a level of protection equivalent to that of Japan, particularly in relation to individual rights and interests. At present, only member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) and the United Kingdom have received such designation. Another exception applies where the recipient has implemented a data protection framework that meets the standards prescribed by the PPC. Certification under the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System, held either by the data sender or the recipient, may serve as evidence of such compliance.

Japan has joined agreements with binding commitments to open transfers of data across borders. These include: the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP, Art. 14.11), the Agreement Between The United States Of America And Japan Concerning Digital Trade (Art. 11), the Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Japan for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership (Art 8.84), and the Agreement between the European Union and Japan for an Economic Partnership (Art. 8.81).

The Act on the Protection of Personal Information provides a comprehensive regime of data protection in Japan.

Ar. 4.1 of the "Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc." stipulates that the government must at all times hold more than one‑third of the total number of issued shares in the telecommunications company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT).

It is reported that the government holds one-third of the shares in the telecommunications company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), as envisioned in Art. 4.1. of the "Act on Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, etc.", which requires the government to retain more than one‑third of the company’s issued shares at all times.

Japan has implemented foreign direct investment (FDI) screening mechanisms through the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act (Act No. 228 of 1949), supplemented by procedural regulations such as the Cabinet Order on Inward Direct Investment. Under this Act, foreign investors in "Designated Business Sectors" or "Core Business Sectors" are required to submit a prior notification to the relevant ministry. After reviewing the notification, the ministry may either approve, amend, or suspend the proposed investment.
According to the Cabinet Order on Inward Direct Investment, "Core Business Sectors" include industries where foreign investors (e.g., non-residents or foreign corporations) must file prior notification for direct investment, such as acquiring 1% or more of voting rights in a listed company or purchasing shares in an unlisted company. These sectors, considered highly sensitive, are generally not exempt from prior notification requirements due to national security concerns.
The List of Classifications of Listed Companies outlines core business sectors such as semiconductors and dual-use technologies, metal mining of significant mineral resources, cybersecurity-related services (e.g., network security monitoring and critical infrastructure protection), and telecommunications. Non-core business sectors include software, data processing services, and internet-use support businesses.

According to Arts. 8 and 184.11 of the Patent Act, the appointment of an agent is required if the applicant is not resident in Japan. Such an agent must be a resident of Japan or a firm registered to practice before the Japan Patent Office. In addition, pursuant to the Art. 184.4, translation of international applications is required into Japanese.

Japan is a party to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).

Japan has a copyright regime under the Copyright Act. However, the exceptions do not follow the fair use or fair dealing model, therefore limiting the lawful use of copyrighted work by others. Arts. 30-50 list the exceptions, which include which include quoting and thereby exploiting a work that has been made public. In such a case, the work must be cited consistent with fair practices and within a scope that is justified for the purpose of news reporting, critique, study, or another place in which the work is quoted; to broadcast or cablecast a work that has been made public, in broadcast or cablecast programming for schools that conforms to the curriculum standards provided for in laws and regulations on school education; among others.

Japan has adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty.

Japan has adopted the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty.

The Unfair Competition Prevention Law (Law No. 47 of 1993) provides a framework for the effective protection of trade secrets. A ‘trade secret’ is defined in the law as a production method, sales method, or any other technical or operational information useful for business activities that are kept secret and are not publicly known (Art. 2). According to Art. 3 of the law, those businesses or persons whose business interests have been, or are threatened to be, infringed on by misappropriation or illegal disclosure shall have the right to seek an injunction. The Unfair Competition Prevention Act provides civil and criminal remedies in such cases where secret information about the company is stolen or disclosed illegally. To protect information according to the Act, companies need to manage such data as “trade secrets”.

It is reported that there is an obligation for passive infrastructure sharing in Japan to deliver telecom services to end users.

Japan is a signatory of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Information Technology Agreement (ITA) of 1996 and its 2015 expansion (ITA II).