Data Strategy Working Group
EU-Japan joint body for data governance cooperation; launched 5 May 2026 at the Digital Partnership Council.
Last refreshed: 7 May 2026
Can the EU and Japan agree data-sharing rules where the US and EU have failed?
Timeline for Data Strategy Working Group
Mentioned in: Virkkunen picks Tokyo after EU summit
European Tech Sovereignty- What is the EU-Japan Data Strategy Working Group and what will it do?
- The EU-Japan Data Strategy Working Group was launched on 5 May 2026 at the 4th Digital Partnership Council. It will develop common governance frameworks for cross-border data sharing in critical sectors such as manufacturing, health, and financial services.Source: EU Commission / 4th EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council
- Does the EU already have a data-sharing agreement with Japan?
- Yes. The EU granted Japan an adequacy decision in 2019, recognising Japanese data protection law (APPI) as providing an equivalent level of protection to GDPR. The new Working Group will build sector-specific implementation frameworks on top of this baseline.
Background
The Data Strategy Working Group was jointly established by the EU and Japan at the 4th EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council on 5 May 2026 in Brussels, alongside the Q Neko quantum initiative and semiconductor cooperation commitments. The Working Group will develop common governance frameworks for cross-border data sharing in critical sectors, building on the existing EU adequacy decision for Japan (2019) and the two sides' shared interest in creating trustworthy data flows outside US platform ecosystems.
The Working Group is a formal joint body under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership architecture, which covers five pillars: data flows, connectivity, standards, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. Its specific mandate — developing sector-specific data-sharing frameworks — responds to the gap between the EU's GDPR-based rules and Japan's Act on Protection of Personal Information (APPI), which align in principle but differ in implementation detail across manufacturing, health, and financial services sectors.
The Working Group's work will feed into both sides' domestic digital sovereignty strategies: the EU's Tech Sovereignty Package (due 27 May 2026) includes a data governance chapter, and Japan's Digital Agency is developing its own cross-border data framework under its Digital Garden City Nation initiative.