Ippodo Tea Co., Ltd. (“Ippodo Tea”, “we”) has established and operates this privacy policy, as follows, to comply with Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information and other standards, and to ensure the proper collection, use, protection, and secure management of personal information on customers and business partners that we use in the course of our business.
- Types of Personal Information We Obtain
1) Information obtained directly from customers and business partners
(1) Profile information including their name, the reading of their name, gender, occupation, company or organization, etc.
(2) Contact information including their email address, address and telephone number
(3) Password for verifying the identity of individuals accessing accounts
(4) Addressee information specified by customers as the sender, such as delivery addresses
(5) Payment information such as credit card information and bank account details
(6) Information that enables specific individuals to be identified in questionnaires
(7) Information entered or sent by customers or business partners via entry forms or other means we specify
2) Device information
We may obtain device identifiers and IP addresses when customers or business partners use our services on a computer or mobile device. We may obtain any other information that customers or business partners choose to provide, such as names, device models, telephone numbers, countries and user names, or email addresses associated with customers or business partners.
3) Location information
We may obtain location information on customers or business partners when customers or business partners use our services on a device or mobile device and permit the provision of location information. Customers and business partners can normally disable the provision of location information by changing their browser or device settings. However, this may result in customers and business partners no longer being able to use some of our services.
4) Information relating to actions by customers and business partners
We may obtain and store smartphone location information when customers and business partners access the official Ippodo Tea Website (“Website”), linked information when customers and business partners log in via social networking services (SNS), and information when customers and business partners use the review function on product information pages. We may also obtain information on the use of our services by customers and business partners.
Information obtained through collaboration with external services
We may obtain IDs used by customers and business partners for external services and other information customers and business partners have authorized to be disclosed to partners, including ourselves, according to the external service’s privacy settings.
The provision of required personal information is left to the discretion of customers and business partners. However, upon completion of registration procedures customers and business partners will be deemed to have agreed to our privacy policy, and we will store and manage their personal information.
- Purpose of Use of Personal Information
We obtain personal information from customers and business partners for the purposes listed below. We shall provide details of the purpose of use before obtaining information when we obtain or use personal information for any other purpose.
- To provide information by direct mail or email, etc.
- To provide services to registered members
- To provide services such as order confirmation and verification, product shipment, and payment confirmation and verification when selling products
- To reply and respond to inquiries and problems
- To provide payment services
- To provide advertising, publicity, information, etc.
- To enhance, improve, and expand our products and services, and services such as our Website, etc. and to develop new services
- To perform business related to the purposes in items 1) to 7) above
Customers and business partners can choose whether to provide personal information to us on our Website, etc. at their discretion. However, customers and business partners may not be able to use the services on our Website, etc. if they do not provide us with their personal information.
- Cookies
Cookies (“Cookies”) are information transmitted between web servers and customers’ or business partners’ browsers when visiting our Website, etc. and are stored in a location designated by the browser when customers and business partners set their computer or mobile device to accept cookies. Stored information does not however include any information that can be used to identify an individual such as user names or email addresses. Our Website, etc. may use Cookies to provide more valuable information to customers and business partners. Customers and business partners can change the settings in their browsers to refuse to accept Cookies or to display a warning when accepting Cookies. However, it may not be possible to use some of the services and functions on our Website, etc. if settings are changed.
- Security Control Measures to Protect Personal Information
We take necessary and appropriate organizational, personnel, physical, and technical security control measures, based on laws and regulations, to prevent personal information from being leaked, lost, or damaged, or the like. Furthermore, we delete personal information obtained from customers and business partners in a safe and reasonable manner when we judge that it is no longer necessary in light of our normal business operations.
- Shared Use of Personal Information, etc.
We may share personal information obtained from customers and business partners by ourselves and our affiliated company, Ippodo Tea USA, Inc. (“Affiliate”), and the details of inquiries, so as to accurately reply and respond to inquiries and problems, etc. In such cases, either ourselves or our Affiliate, whichever is appropriate, will reply and respond to customers and business partners.
1) Personal information to be shared
Details necessary to contact customers and business partners such as their name, address, telephone number, and email address and the details of inquiries
2) Affiliate that shares use of personal information
Ippodo Tea USA, Inc.
3) Purpose of shared use
To reply and respond to inquiries and problems, etc.
4) Party responsible managing personal information to be shared
Ippodo Tea
- Provision to Third Parties, etc.
We may provide personal information on customers and business partners to third parties in the following situations:
1) When consent has been obtained from customers and business partners
We may provide personal information on customers and business partners to third party companies, organizations or individuals with the consent of customers and business partners.
2) For legal reasons
We may disclose personal information on customers and business partners to third parties based on laws and regulations, etc., in accordance with appropriate procedures based on laws, when disclosure is requested by a public agency, etc. or when necessary to protect our rights or property.
- Outsourcing to Third Parties
When outsourcing the handling of the personal information to third parties, we choose appropriate contractors, execute agreements concerning the protection of personal information with contractors, and exercise necessary and appropriate supervision of contractors.
- Suspension of Dissemination of Information on Products, Services, and Notices, etc.
We disseminate information on products, services and notices, etc. to customers and business partners by email and other communication means. We kindly request that customers and business partners who have registered with our Website, etc., change their registered information on their account page if they no longer wish to receive such communications. Customers who have not registered on our Website, etc. should contact us by telephone or email to stop receiving such communications. Please note that we may contact customers and business partners to confirm details relating to ordered products, regardless of whether customers and business partners wish to be sent information.
[Contact point to suspend dissemination of information on products, services and notices, etc.]
Telephone number: +81-75-211-3423
Email address: globalshop@ippodo-tea.co.jp
- Personal Information Disclosure and Corrections, etc.
Customers and business partners who have registered personal information on our Website, etc. may confirm and correct registered information via their account page. Customers and business partners who have not registered personal information on our Website, etc. should contact us by telephone or email to confirm or correct information. Customers and business partners should contact us by telephone or email to instruct us to delete personal information. Please be aware that laws and regulations may prevent us from responding to requests.
[Contact point for personal information disclosure]
Telephone number: +81-75-211-3423
Email address: globalshop@ippodo-tea.co.jp
- Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may change this Privacy Policy without prior notice in response to changes in society, technological advances, or revisions to the Personal Information Protection Act, etc.
- Important Matters to be Aware of When Using Our Website, etc.
1) Use of community functions
Review and other commenting functions are available on part of our Website, etc. Users should ensure they do not post any personal information on themselves or a third party on services that can be viewed by other users. Users should be aware that personal information may be used or misused in ways not intended by the user if personal information on users or a third party is accidentally posted on such services. Users should exercise caution when using community functions as we cannot be held liable in such situations.
2) Please be aware, before using our website that, while we make every effort to ensure security on our website, we are not responsible or liable for any loss or damage, etc. caused by tampering with our Website, etc., unauthorized access to data, or for viewing emails or content infected with computer viruses.
- Protection of Transmitted Data
Our Website, etc. uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer), which is currently the most reliable technology for cryptography technology on the internet, to ensure the security of information. Cryptography technology encrypts customers’ personal information when sending it from their device to our Website, etc. servers. The servers we use to manage our customers’ and business partners’ personal information are located in a data centre and internally in our office, and we have constructed a system to protect customers’ and business partners’ data from computer viruses or unauthorized access.
Established: August 4, 2021
Ippodo Tea Co., Ltd.