[Event Report] Public Lecture: “Preventing Misuse or the Right to Exploit? How Should Use of Personal Information in Aggregated and Anonymised Form Be Regulated?” October 17 (Sat.).

Public Lecture:
“Preventing Misuse or the Right to Exploit?
How Should Use of Personal Information in Aggregated and Anonymised Form Be Regulated?”

【Host】　Institute of Comparative Law, Waseda University.
【Co-Host】　Society of International Business and Legal Studies; International Contract Legal Systems Division of The Japanese Association of International Business Law; and School of Law and Graduate School of Law, Waseda University.
【Date and Time】　October 17 (Sat.), 2026. 13:10-14:50.
【Venue】　Room 31o, Building 8, Waseda Campus.
【Language】　English (followed by a Japanese commentary and Q&A); No interpretation.
【Lecturer】　Professor Gehan Gunasekara (The University of Auckland Business School)
【Moderator】　Takashi Kubota (Professor, Faculty of Law, Waseda University / Research Staff, Institute of Comparative Law)
【Audience】　Students, faculty, staff, and the general public are welcome to attend.
【Number of Participants】　28 (including 23 undergraduate and graduate students)

【Program】
Facilitator: Prof. Takashi Kubota (Waseda University)

【About the Event】
This public lecture features Professor Gehan Gunasekara. He is an authority on personal information protection law studies in Oceania, with profound knowledge of comparative law and AI law. This event aims to provide an opportunity for Japanese scholars, practitioners, and students to engage in discussions and stimulate mutual academic growth.

【Abstract】
The dominant Internet platforms and interconnected devices which mediate the digital sphere have become the default aggregators and dispensers of personal information in the twenty-first century. The presenter argues that a gap in regulation currently exists due to the narrow definition of personal information (PI) which excludes aggregated and anonymised data. This allows such data to be used to target undefined online groups using digital tokens. More transparency is needed over the use of such tokens, but should affected groups also be able to control the tokens for their own purposes? Proposed amendments (Article 31-2) to Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) seek to restrict improper acquisition and use of “Personal-Related Information” where it allows targeting of individuals even where the information is not strictly PI. The presentation examines whether this goes far enough and how collective rights and interests over data might also be regulated. It argues that groups with shared characteristics should have corporate rights over their data.

Event Report

This public lecture featured a research presentation by Professor Gehan Gunasekara, a Visiting Research Fellow at Waseda University who is currently conducting research in Japan. This event brought together scholars and practitioners, including Professor Fumio Shimpo (Keio University), Professor Satoru Yamadera (Specially Appointed Professor, Saitama University), Attorney Hajime Matsumura (Tokyo Station Law Firm), and Attorney Darren Gunasekara (DLA Piper) – along with 23 students (4 international graduate exchange students, 1 law school student, and 18 law undergraduates: 2 1st years, 4 2nd years, 6 3rd years, and 6 4th years).
The event opened with welcoming remarks by Professor Takashi Kubota (Waseda University) on behalf of the facilitator and co-organizing bodies. Afterward, Professor Gehan Gunasekara delivered a one-hour lecture in English. In the lecture, drawing on various case studies and comparative legal perspectives, he examined (1) the division of responsibilities between data controllers and data processors, (2) the definition of data privacy, (3) comparative legal frameworks in Japan, the US, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia balancing AI development with privacy protection, and (4) the challenges of privacy protection for aggregated data.
During the Q&A session, scholars, practitioners, and the moderator actively contributed detailed perspectives on Japanese law, allowing for a deeper exploration of each topic. Participating students also engaged in the discussion, including questions from international students based on their understanding of EU law. The session was so lively that the Q&A had to be cut short due to time constraints.

Link to Japanese page.