Non-disclosure of some company officer residential address information permitted from 1 October 2024
In the past, a stock company (Kabushiki Kaisha; KK) was required to disclose the full residential addresses of its representative directors, representative executive officers and representative liquidators (Representative Directors, etc.) in its publicly accessible commercial registration. Due to concerns about protection of personal information and privacy, as of 1 October 2024, KKs can submit an application to the Legal Affairs Bureau with the required supporting documentation (see below for details) for non-disclosure of some of these individuals’ residential address information in their certificates of registered matters, abstracts of registered matters and web accessible registration information (Certificates of Registered Matters, etc.). After the application is approved, the KK needs to only specify the addresses of Representative Directors, etc. to the level of the smallest general administrative address division (e.g., the wards in which the individuals reside) in their Certificates of Registered Matters, etc. (Address Non-disclosure System).
This Address Non-disclosure System is currently not available to executive managers of limited liability companies (Godo Kaisha) or equivalent representatives of other types of legal entities.