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Privacy Policy

eLife Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Company") establishes this Privacy Policy (hereinafter referred to as "the Policy") to govern the handling of user information, including personal information, related to users of the service "eLife" (hereinafter referred to as "the Service") provided by the Company.

[1. User information to be collected and method of collection]


  1. In this policy, "user information" means information pertaining to the identification of users, action history on communication services, and other information generated or stored in connection with users or their terminals, such as smartphones and PCs, that is collected by the Company in accordance with this policy. "Personal Information" means information that is collected by the Company in accordance with this Policy. In addition, "foreign countries," "personal information," "personal data," "record of provision to third parties," "record of receipt of provision to third parties," "retained personal data," and "personal information requiring special consideration" mean those defined in the Personal Information Protection Law. User information collected by the Service will be as follows, depending on the method of collection.


(1) Information provided by users:

Information provided by users when using the Service is as follows:

  1. Name
  2. Email address
  3. Date of birth
  4. Biological gender
  5. Address
  6. Phone number
  7. Name, medical department, consultation date, questionnaire response information, medication information, and other health information provided by users, concerning the medical institutions they are affiliated with (referring to medical institutions that use the Service as providers of medical acts, medication guidance, prescription drugs, etc.)
  8. Information transmitted by affiliated medical institutions on behalf of users or based on users' instructions and information directly delivered by affiliated medical institutions to the Company
  9. Other information that users enter in the input forms prescribed by the Company


(2) Information provided by other services through collaboration in the use of the Service:

If users permit collaboration with other external services, such as social networking services, in the use of the Service, the Company will collect the following information from those external services based on the contents agreed upon during the permission:

  1. ID used by users on those external services
  2. Other information that users allow disclosure to collaboration partners based on the privacy settings of those external services
  3. Recordings of medical treatment during online medical consultations. However, medical institutions, physicians, the operator of the Service, and individuals directly instructed by them are the only ones allowed to access the recorded medical treatment.


(3) Information collected by the Company during the use of the Service:

The Company may collect information regarding the access status and usage of the Service. This information includes:

  1. Device information
  2. Log information
  3. Cookies and anonymous IDs
  4. Location information
  5. IP address
  6. User agent
  7. Payment information
  8. ADID, IDFA, and other identifiers
  9. Referrer


[2. Purpose of Use]


The specific purposes of using User Information related to the provision of the Service are as follows:

  1. Acceptance of registration related to the Service, identity verification, provision, maintenance, protection, and improvement of the Service
  2. Correspondence to inquiries and notifications related to the Service
  3. Handling of acts that violate the Company's terms and conditions, policies, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "Terms and Conditions, etc.") regarding the Service
  4. Notification of changes to the Terms and Conditions, etc. regarding the Service
  5. Provision of information to companies, affiliated medical institutions, and physicians affiliated with the Company (including advertising and promotions; however, the Company will provide such information)
  6. Creation of statistical data related to the Service
  7. Delivery of advertisements and promotional information from the Company and companies affiliated with the Company and affiliated medical institutions
  8. Provision to third parties for the purpose of identification of individuals, provision of services, and development of the Service and other services, as well as the occurrence of the event specified in Article 26, Paragraph 1, of the Personal Information Protection Law concerning retained personal data related to User Information that allows identifying users and poses the risk of infringing upon the rights or legitimate interests of the users, including the fact that the Company no longer needs the retained personal data concerning users, or such an event has occurred

[3. Method of Obtaining Consent]


  1. Regarding the User Information and sensitive personal information subject to collection by the Company as set forth in Article 1 (3), the Company shall obtain the user's consent before collecting such information. *Please note that cookies can be rejected by adjusting the browser settings, but in that case, some parts of the Company's website may not be available.

[4. Third-Party Provision]


(1) The Company shall provide third parties with personal data only after obtaining the user's consent in advance, except in the following cases:

  1. When the Company entrusts the whole or a part of the handling of personal data within the scope necessary for achieving the purposes of use
  2. When personal data is provided due to a merger or other reasons related to the succession of business
  3. When User Information is provided to an information collection module provider according to the provisions of Item 4
  4. When there is a need to cooperate in performing duties prescribed by laws and regulations, and obtaining the user's consent would likely obstruct the performance of such duties
  5. When it is necessary to disclose personal information to a financial institution or the like for credit settlement when using the Company's Service, etc.
  6. When disclosed in a manner that does not identify the individual (such as statistical data)
  7. When permitted by other laws and regulations, including the Personal Information Protection Law


(2) The Company shall obtain the user's consent in advance regarding the provision of personal data to third parties, except in cases where personal data is provided to third parties in foreign countries (excluding countries specified in accordance with Article 28, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Law, or persons who have established a system that complies with the standards designated by the Personal Information Protection Commission based on Article 28, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Law) or to persons who have established a system that complies with the standards designated by the Personal Information Protection Commission based on Article 28, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Law and when any of the items of Article 27, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Law apply.


(3) When the Company provides personal data to third parties, the Company shall create and keep records of third-party provision in accordance with Article 29 of the Personal Information Protection Law.


(4) When the Company receives the provision of personal data from third parties, the Company shall create and keep records of the receipt of third-party provision in accordance with Article 30 of the Personal Information Protection Law.


(5) Users can request the Company to stop providing their User Information to third parties by notifying the Company through the inquiry form on the Service. In response to such a request, the Company will stop providing the User Information to third parties.

[5. Joint Use]


The Company will jointly use the User Information by sharing electronic data as follows:

(1) Items of User Information jointly used:

  1. Name
  2. Email address
  3. Date of birth
  4. Biological gender
  5. Address
  6. Phone number
  7. Name, medical department, consultation date, insurance card information, questionnaire response information, medication information, and other health information provided by users concerning the medical institutions they are affiliated with
  8. Information transmitted by affiliated medical institutions on behalf of users or based on users' instructions and information directly delivered by affiliated medical institutions to the Company
  9. Other information that users enter in the input forms prescribed by the Company

(2) Scope of entities jointly using the information:

Contractors under commission, affiliated medical institutions, and medical professionals affiliated with affiliated medical institutions


(3) Purpose of jointly using the information:

Medical treatment, consultation, delivery, customer support, and other matters related to the provision of the Service


(4) Name or designation of the person responsible for managing the information:

The Company (address and representative as described in "Special Business Contract Method Based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions")

[6. Disclosure of Retained Personal Data, etc.]


When a user requests disclosure of retained personal data or records of third-party provision based on the Personal Information Protection Law, the Company will promptly confirm that the request is from the user himself/herself and disclose the retained personal data or records of third-party provision to the user (in case there is no such retained personal data or records, the user will be notified accordingly). However, this shall not apply when the Company is not obliged to disclose the information based on the Personal Information Protection Law or other laws and regulations. Please note that a fee (¥1,000 + tax per request) is required for disclosure of retained personal data and records of third-party provision.

[7. Correction, Suspension of Use, and Suspension of Provision of Retained Personal Data, etc.]


(1) If a user requests the correction, addition, or deletion (hereinafter referred to as "Correction, etc.") of the contents of retained personal data based on the reasons that the retained personal data is not true, or requests the suspension or erasure (hereinafter referred to as "Suspension, etc.") of the use of retained personal data based on the reasons that the personal data is treated beyond the scope of the purposes of use publicly disclosed in advance, or that there is a risk of promoting or inducing illegal or unjust acts, or that the data was collected through falsehood or other improper means, or if the user requests the suspension of the provision of the retained personal data based on the reason that the retained personal data is provided to third parties without the user's consent, or requests the Suspension, etc., based on the reason that the Company no longer needs the retained personal data concerning the user or that the event specified in the main text of Article 26, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Law concerning retained personal data related to User Information that allows identifying users has occurred or that there is a risk of infringing upon the rights or legitimate interests of users concerning the retained personal data related to User Information that allows identifying users, the Company will promptly confirm that the request is from the user himself/herself and conduct the necessary investigation based on the results of the investigation. Then, the Company will correct the contents of the retained personal data, suspend the use of the retained personal data, or suspend the provision of the retained personal data, as appropriate within the necessary limits, and notify the user accordingly. However, in cases where the Company has made a decision not to correct, etc., or suspend the use, etc., based on reasonable grounds, the Company will notify the user accordingly.


(2) The provisions of (1) above shall not apply to cases where the Company is not obligated to correct, etc., or suspend the use, etc., based on the Personal Information Protection Law or other laws and regulations.


(3) If retained personal data subject to Suspension, etc., is essential to the premise of the Service, the Company will conduct the procedures for canceling the Service when Suspension, etc., is performed.

[8. Management of Personal Information at Affiliated Medical Institutions, etc.]


Personal information provided to affiliated medical institutions or other third parties based on the user's consent will be managed by each provider's responsibility.

[9. Entrustment of Personal Information]


The Company may entrust all or part of the handling of personal information within the scope necessary for achieving the purposes of use. When entrusting the handling of personal information, the Company will select an appropriate trustee, and appropriately supervise the trustee to ensure that personal information is securely managed.

[10. Appropriate Acquisition]


When the Company receives personal data from third parties, the Company will conduct the confirmation as prescribed by the rules of the Personal Information Protection Commission concerning the following matters. However, this shall not apply to cases where the provision of the personal data falls under any of the items of Article 27, Paragraph 1, or Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Personal Information Protection Law, and does not constitute a third-party provision.

  1. Name or designation and address of the third party and, in the case of a corporation, the name of its representative (in the case of a non-corporate organization with a designated representative or administrator, the name of its representative or administrator)
  2. The process by which the third party obtained the personal data


[11. Contact Information]


For opinions, questions, complaints, requests for disclosure, correction, etc., suspension of use, suspension of provision, and other inquiries related to the handling of User Information, please contact elife customer support through our Customer Inquiries Form.

[12. Procedure for Changing the Privacy Policy]


The Company will periodically review the operation status related to the handling of User Information and strive for continuous improvement. The Company may change this policy as necessary. If any changes are made, the Company will notify users through posting on its website. However, in cases where changes require the user's consent under the law, the Company will obtain the user's consent through appropriate methods specified by the Company.


Established on April 1, 2022

eLife K.K.