As amended in April 2022, under Art. 2.4 of the Cabinet Order on Export Trade Control, anyone wishing to export goods listed in Table 2-3 to Russia must obtain approval from the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, following the procedures established by the Ministry's Order. Table 2-3 includes several ICT goods, such as computers and their accessories, communication devices, cryptographic equipment, integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, electronic test equipment, analogue and digital recording devices, oscilloscopes, and components for microwave and millimetre wave equipment.

The Guidelines on Security Management of Information System and Services Handling Medical Information provide that information systems for the handling of medical data must be located in the territory of Japan so that in the event of an emergency, Japanese governmental authorities can enforce their power to collect information or issue administrative orders. Although this is not a mandatory requirement based on a specific law, it is reported that some medical institutions have requested that service providers maintain servers inside Japan to comply with these Guidelines.

It is reported that cloud service providers wishing to offer services to the Japanese government are required to locate their data servers within Japan.

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.

It is reported that Japan mandates functional and accounting separation for operators with significant market power (SMP) in the telecom market.

Under the Radio Act (Act No. 131 of 1950) (電波法 (昭和二十五年法律第百三十一号), the allocation of the spectrum is at the discretion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication (MIC), based on consultation with the Radio Regulatory Council and consideration of plans submitted by the operators. The Act was amended in May 2019 to adopt what is called a "partial auction system," whereby the MIC considers the amount of special fees submitted by the applicant based on their own valuation of the spectrum, although it is not a decisive element. It is reported that the MIC's decision-making is arbitrary and opaque. Moreover, it reported that "several current spectrum allocations create bands unique to Japan (e.g., for self-driving vehicles) that prevent foreign technologies from functioning in Japan". On 30 August 2024, the MIC released a report from an advisory council on the use of a “conditional auction” mechanism for the allocation of underutilised millimetre wave bands or frequency bands that need to be shared with other wireless systems.

Japan has appended the World Trade Organization (WTO) Telecom Reference Paper to its schedule of commitments.

Japan does not possess a telecommunications authority whose decision‑making processes are institutionally independent of the government. Instead, the telecommunications and internet sectors are overseen by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), rather than by an autonomous regulatory commission.

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).