Privacy Policy

This page has been translated from the official Japanese version into English for the convenience of our international readers. In the event of any discrepancy, the Japanese original shall prevail.

Excite Japan Co., Ltd. (“Excite”) is constantly working to improve the functionality and reliability of all the services (including, but not limited to, websites, contents, applications and other computer software that Excite provides on the internet; collectively, the “Services”) that Excite provides to ensure that users ranging from beginners to existing heavy users (the “Customers”) can make use of the Services comfortably and with peace of mind.
In the Services and activities of Excite, we handle Customers’ Personal Information (as defined below) and information other than Personal Information, such as information about browsing history and other matters (“Informative Data” or collectively with personal information “Personal Information, etc.”).
We believe that the proper handling and protection of Personal Information, etc. is an important responsibility, and we have formulated our privacy policy (this “Privacy Policy”) as follows. For inquiries about the implementation and operation of the Excite Personal Information Protection Management System, please contact our Personal Information Protection Controller via the address provided under the “Contact” clause below. Please note that the Chairperson of our Safety Compliance Committee serves as the Personal Information Protection Controller.

This Privacy Policy includes technical terms. As much as possible, we attempt to explain them in an easy-to-understand manner. If you are still unsure about terms such as cookies and IP address, please read the Explanations of Main Terms first.

Scope of Applicability of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies when a Customer uses the Services or when Excite performs its business activity. The Personal Information, etc. that Excite obtains from a Customer’s use of the Services shall also be managed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Furthermore, any Personal Information, etc. shared by Excite with its business partners to whom Excite consigns its operations relating to the provision of the Services and the distribution of advertisements to or partners with in relation to such operations (the “Business Partners”) (the names of the Business Partners can be checked within the Services, and the names of the Business Partners involved in the distribution of advertisements can be checked here) shall, unless otherwise clearly specified within the Services as being covered by the Business Partners’ privacy policies, be managed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Additionally, there are certain Services which are provided solely by the Business Partners, and because in such cases Excite does not receive Personal Information with regard to such Services, this Privacy Policy is not applicable in relation thereto. As for the Services provided solely by the Business Partners, an explanation similar to the example below will be displayed on the screen of the Services, and therefore Customers are advised to confirm such notice.

(Example)
“This service is operated and managed by XXX Inc. Customers are asked to note that customer information provided in relation to this service is received only by XXX Inc., and that this Privacy Policy does not apply to customer information provided in relation to such services.”

Regarding Personal Information

1. Definition of Personal Information

Personal Information is information about an individual and:

(1) May identify a specific individual (or may be easily checked against other information thereby identifying a specific individual) by the name, date of birth or other descriptions included in the information (everything except personal identification codes that is written or recorded in a document, drawing or electromagnetic record or is represented by sound, behavior or other means); or

(2) Includes personal identification codes (e.g. number of a driver’s license or passport, fingerprint recognition data) required by laws and regulations.

2. Regarding Acquisition and Use of Personal Information

(1) About Personal Information that accompanies the Services

In cases such as when a Customer obtains an ID, etc. issued by Excite for the purpose of using the Services, makes use of the Services or agrees to respond to a survey, the Customer may be requested to provide his/her Personal Information. Excite will use Customers’ Personal Information mainly for the following objectives:

• To provide the Services
• To charge Customers for their use of the charged Services
• To analyze browsing history, purchase history, and other information to customize the information on Excite’s website, the Services and the distribution of advertisements so that they are in line with the Customers’ tastes and preferences
• To enrich the contents and service elements in the Services
• To conduct Customer surveys regarding Customers’ tastes and preferences, etc.
• To prepare statistical data relating to the Services
• To send email magazines to email addresses and direct mail by post, etc. to Customers who have agreed to receive such email magazines and direct mail
• To use in the operations of sending products, presents, etc.
• To enable Excite to contact Customers as necessary
• To enable Excite to operate services entrusted by another party
• To respond to inquiries from Customers and to verify Customers’ identity

(2) About Personal Information obtained from sources other than the Services

Personal Information that is obtained from sources other than the Services shall be used for any of the following purposes.

• To recruit and select employees and to provide information related to recruitment
• To carry out business management and sales operations in Excite’s corporate activities
• To inform stockholders of stockholder meetings, dividends etc. or to take related action such as paying dividends and responding to inquiries
• To manage employees’ service and welfare, conduct personnel appraisals or make notifications as stated by laws and regulations
• To inform the parties whose third-party information we have properly obtained of the Services, promotions, etc.

Excite takes necessary measures through its personal information protection management system to ensure that personal information is not used for any other purposes.

(3) About use of Pseudonymized Personal Information

Excite may process Personal Information obtained by us into Pseudonymized Personal Information in which the customer or other individual cannot be identified and use Personal Information.

• When Excite create Pseudonymized Personal Information (meaning as defined in Article 2, Paragraph 5 of Act on the Protection of Personal Information. The same shall apply hereinafter), Excite process Personal Information in accordance with the standards set forth by laws and regulations such as Act on the Protection of Personal Information and Order of the Personal Information Protection Commission.
• Excite will not provide Pseudonymized Personal Information to third parties except as required by law.
• When handling the Pseudonymized Personal Information, we will not match it with any information that identifies the individual in the Personal Information used to create this pseudonymized information.
• Excite will endeavor to take necessary and appropriate measures for the secure management of Pseudonymized Personal Information, to handle complaints regarding the creation or other handling of Pseudonymized Personal Information, and to take other measures necessary to ensure the proper handling of Pseudonymized Personal Information by ourselves.

(4) About shared use within the Excite Holdings Group

In cases where Excite determine that it is appropriate for each group company to provide information regarding the purposes of acquisition and use described in (1) and (2) above and Pseudonymized Personal Information described in (3) above, we may share Personal Information with other group companies in order to provide information and services handled by each group company or to improve the services handled by each group company.
For details, please refer to “Joint Use of Personal Information with Group Companies“.

3. Providing Personal Information to a Third Party

Excite will not provide Personal Information to a third party without obtaining consent from the relevant Customer. However, this may not apply in any of the cases described below.

• Cases where all or part of the handling of Personal Information is assigned within the extent that is necessary for achieving the aim of use stated in the above paragraph
• Cases based on laws and regulations
• Cases in which there is a need to protect the life, wellbeing, or property of an individual, and it is difficult to obtain the consent of the identifiable person
• Cases in which there is a special need to improve public wellbeing or promote healthy child development, and it is difficult to obtain the consent of the identifiable person
• Cases in which there is a need to cooperate with a national government organ, local government, or person entrusted thereby with performing the functions prescribed by laws and regulations, and the consent of the identifiable person is likely to interfere with the performance of those functions
• Cases in which personal data is provided to an academic research institution or the equivalent, and they need to handle the personal data for academic research purposes (including cases in which a part of the purpose of handling the personal data is for academic research purposes, and excluding cases in which there is a risk of unjustly infringing on individual rights and interests)

Please note that inquiries about the use of the Personal Information and requests for the deletion or suspension of the use of such information, etc. must be handled by the company that receives such information, when Personal Information is provided to advertisers, etc. based on the relevant Customer’s consent.

4. Acquisition of Information related to personal information

Excite may manage informative data issued by partners (including but not limited to web page browsing history, search history, purchase history from shopping services operated by partners, location information and other action history, cookies, advertising IDs, etc.) and other Information related to personal information in connection with Personal Information, etc held by us, and use such information for the purposes described in “2. Regarding Acquisition and Use of Personal Information.”

5. Regarding Disclosure, etc. of Personal Information

To request the notification of the purpose of use of the Personal Information provided by a Customer or the disclosure, correction, addition, deletion, suspension of use or cessation of provision of such information to third parties, disclosure of record of provision to a third party (“Disclosure, etc.”), please ask Excite by clicking here. Please note that such requests may only be made when measures equal to or more effective than the Disclosure, etc. are not available through the registration information webpage, etc. regarding the Services. Informative Data are outside the scope of “Disclosure, etc.” stated in this paragraph.

When we receive a request as described above, detailed instructions as to how to make such a request and an “Application for Inquiry about Personal Information” will be sent to the requesting Customer for him/her to fill out. From the viewpoint of preventing the leakage of Personal Information, Excite will conduct the Disclosure, etc. for the Customer’s Personal Information within a reasonable period of time only when we are able to verify the identity of the requesting Customer. Please note that we may ask the requesting Customer to provide us with the personal identification documents below.

＜Personal identification documents＞

• Request made by the principal: a copy of his/her driver’s license, passport or medical insurance card
• Request made by a proxy: a copy of either of the above and a letter of proxy or an official document to certify the power of attorney and the proxy’s personal identification documents

Please note that the Disclosure, etc. of the Personal Information provided by the Customer to Excite may only be made with regard to the following information (excluding that information as likely to harm the public or other interests if its existence or non-existence is made clear):

• Databased Personal Information pertaining to which Excite has the authority to respond to a Disclosure, etc. request from the Customer
• Personal Information on paper that is searchable for which Excite have the authority to respond to y Customer ‘s request for Disclosure, etc.

6. Regarding Certified Personal Information Protection Organization

Excite is accredited by the “PrivacyMark Promotion Center Personal Information Protection and Claims Desk” of JIPDEC, a certified personal information protection organization.

＜Name of Certified Personal Information Protection Organization and Contact Information＞

• Name: JIPDEC
• Contact point: Personal Information Protection and Claims Desk
• Address: Roppongi First Building, 9-9 Roppongi 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032 Japan
• Telephone number: +81-3-5860-7565 / +81-120-700-779

(For inquiries regarding services provided by Excite, please click here to contact us.)

About Informative Data

1. Handling of Informative Data

Excite may obtain and use the following information (“Informative Data”) when a Customer has accessed the site with a terminal such as a computer or mobile phone. However, the information does not include anything that may cause a specific individual to be identified.

• Information that identifies a specific terminal (identification number assigned to cookies, etc. or other numbers for identifying a specific terminal “Individual Identification Number”)
• Customer’s environment for use of information (e.g. information about the IP address of the connection source, OS (Operating System), browser, etc.)
• History of Customer’s browsing and use of information on the Excite site (including keywords used for searching)
• Identification information that is sent to Excite when a Customer uses the service of another company that partners with Excite
  *This may involve sending the ID information from Excite to the service of the partnering company.
• Information about locations that may be obtained by a mobile phone, etc.
• Postal code, sex or other pieces of attribute information that cannot identify a specific individual alone

Informative Data may be obtained and used once prior consent is obtained. Mainly, they are automatically recorded through cookies, etc. when the relevant Customer uses the site.

The following is the purpose of use of Informative Data. You may opt out of or delete cookies by changing your browser settings. However, this may result in problems such as inconvenience in the use of the site and the unavailability of the service. We recommend that you keep cookies active.

• Confirm whether access is from the same Customer in the service that cannot be available without login
• Advise a Customer who has not used the site for a certain amount of time to reenter his/her ID or password for the purpose of ensuring the Customer’s security
• Research the number of users of the site of Excite or of the partnering company to which Excite delivers its advertisements, or the number of visitors who are guided to the site of Excite or a partnering company
• Excite or a partnering company sends or provides a Customer with the optimum content, advertisements or service information
• Perform an analysis, extraction, etc. for the purpose of improving the services and advertisements provided by Excite or a partnering company or considering new services
• Disclose the results of the analysis of information such as the communication status of a mobile terminal so that the information will serve as the basis for improving the environment for a Customer to use our service
• Perform an analysis to determine and inform a partnering company of, for example, what kind of advertisements, information and/or services will be effectively displayed or provided
• Confirm the status of a Customer’s use of a service for the purpose of facilitating the handling of inquiries from the Customer

2. Sending and Providing Informative Data to a Third Party

Excite may send and provide a Customer’s Informative Data to a third party. Please read “About Use and Transmission and Provision of Informative Data to a Third Party” for information about the destination of transmitted and provided information and the purpose of the transmission and provision. The transmission and provision of Informative Data to a third party based on the delivery of a behavioral targeting advertisement shall comply with “Handling of Data in Internet Advertising.”

3. Behavioral Targeting Advertisements

Via the advertisement delivery system of Excite and its business partners, Excite delivers “behavioral targeting advertisements” that relate to issues of concern to Customers. This is one of the means of displaying advertisements that are more beneficial to Customers. A behavioral targeting advertisement involves the use of the relevant Customer’s Informative Data. Please see “Handling of Data in Internet Advertising” for instructions about the handling of a Customer’s information on a behavioral targeting advertisement and the procedure for opting out of a behavioral targeting advertisement.

4. Handling of Informative Data on Smartphone Apps

A Customer’s Informative Data may be handled in the application service that Excite provides via smartphone, etc. (the “Apps”). Please see “Privacy Policy on Smartphone Apps” for instructions about the handling of Informative Data via smartphone Apps. The handling of Personal Information via the Apps shall comply with “Regarding Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy.

Regarding Measures for Managing the Security of Personal Information, etc.

Excite manage and implement safety control measures for the handling of Personal Information, etc., in accordance with the guidelines related to Act on the Protection of Personal Information and the requirements of the Privacy Mark.

1. Organizational security control measures
   • Establish a person in charge of handling Personal Information (personal information protection officer).
   • Establish rules and regulations regarding Personal Information, etc., and operate in accordance with those rules and regulations.
   • Personal Information to be handled is recorded in a ledger and maintained.
   • Risk analysis and safety inspections are conducted regarding the handling of Personal Information, etc.
   • Establish a system for reporting to the person in charge when an accident involving Personal Information, etc. or a fact or indication of a violation of laws or regulations is detected.
2. Human security control measures
   • Periodic training for employees on the handling of personal information, etc.
   • Collection of written pledges from employees
   • Execution of Personal Information protection agreements with vendors that handle Personal Information
3. Physical security control measures
   • Control access to the office area
   • Rules for managing databases, etc., containing Personal Information
   • Establish rules for sending and receiving data files, etc. containing Personal Information
4. Technological security control measures
   • Introduction of a system to detect unauthorized access to databases, etc., containing Personal Information
   • VPN communication to databases containing Personal Information
   • Setting access privileges for employees to access Personal Information, etc., according to their duties.
   • Acquisition of access logs of databases containing Personal Information
   • Automatic application of anti-virus software to employee PCs
5. Understanding of External Environment
   • Internal database servers, etc., containing Personal Information is used on our on-premise servers or cloud servers in the domestic region.
     *In principle, Personal Information is stored in Japan, but in the event that it is stored in a foreign country, security control measures will be implemented based on an understanding of the systems in place for the protection of Personal Information in that country. For more information about the countries in which we store Personal Information, please contact us by clicking on the “Contact” link below.

Revisions to Privacy Policy

Notification of any revisions to this Privacy Policy will be provided on this website. Customers are encouraged to check this page as necessary for the latest information regarding such changes. Please note that Excite accepts no responsibility for any problems that occur as a result of a Customer not being able to confirm a change.

Regarding Protection of Personal Information, etc. by Third Party Companies

1. In some cases, third party companies that are linked to from Excite’s website may obtain Customer information through their services or offer for prizes, or when they conduct sales promotion activities. Excite accepts no obligation or responsibility with regard to the protection of Customers’ Personal Information, etc. by these third party companies.
2. Excite may provide our services using Google LLC’s API, etc. for the purpose of improving customer convenience.
   Google’s Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy

Contact

For any questions or claims regarding the protection of Personal Information, etc. by Excite, please click here to contact the Manager of Personal Information at Excite.

Established: April 2004
Last revised: November 21, 2023

Excite Japan Co., Ltd.
Saijo, President & CEO