Privacy notice

Who we are

Japan The Best is an independent consumer research operation based in London, United Kingdom. It is the participant-facing side of the practice that also trades as Japan Business Insider (thepmi.net). For data protection purposes we are the data controller for information you submit through this website.

Contact: hello@japanthebest.com

What we collect, and why

Data	Why	Required?
Email address	To send you study invitations and nothing else	Yes
Country of residence	Studies are country-restricted, largely for shipping reasons	Yes
Age band	Studies recruit to demographic quotas set by the client	Yes
Category and format preferences	So we only invite you to things you would want	No
Allergies and dietary restrictions	To exclude you from unsafe food and beauty studies	No
Postal address	Collected separately, only when you accept a study requiring a shipment	Only then
Payment details	Collected separately, only when a paid study you completed is being settled	Only then

We do not use tracking cookies, advertising pixels, or third-party analytics that profile you across sites. This site sets no cookies of its own.

Our lawful basis

Consent, given when you tick the box on the application form. You can withdraw it at any time and we will act on that immediately. Where we hold records of completed paid studies, we retain the minimum needed to meet UK accounting obligations, which is a legal obligation basis rather than consent.

What research clients see

This is the part people most want to know, so it is stated plainly.

• Clients see aggregated results and your verbatim comments — the actual sentences you wrote or said. Verbatims are the most valuable output of any study.
• Clients do not see your name, email address, postal address, telephone number, or any other identifier. Comments are attributed only by demographic band, for example "female, 35–44, UK".
• Shipments are fulfilled by us, not by the client. Your address is never passed to a Japanese company.
• Recorded sessions (interviews, group discussions) are only recorded with your explicit consent at the time, are shared with the client only where you agreed to that, and are deleted within twelve months.

Processors we use

• Our hosting provider — forms on this site are processed by a script on our own server and delivered to us by email. No third-party form service is involved.
• Our email provider and hosting provider — store correspondence and serve this website.
• Video conferencing software — used for interviews and group discussions, where applicable to a study you have accepted.

Where a processor is outside the UK or EEA, transfers rely on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum or an adequacy decision.

How long we keep things

• Panel record: until you ask us to delete it, or after three years with no study participation, whichever comes first.
• Study responses: anonymised on study completion; the anonymised dataset is retained indefinitely as research material.
• Recordings: deleted within twelve months.
• Payment records: six years, as required by UK tax law.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you may ask us to give you a copy of what we hold, correct it, delete it, restrict what we do with it, or provide it in a portable format. You may also object to processing. Email hello@japanthebest.com and we will respond within one month, usually much sooner. There is no charge.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk. We would rather you told us first, but it is your right either way.

Children

This panel is for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from anyone younger. If you believe we have, tell us and we will delete it.

Changes

If this notice changes materially we will email everyone on the panel rather than quietly updating the page. The date at the top always reflects the current version.