About the IAPP

Hiroshi Nakai has been with Mercari, Inc.(Since 2020). At Mercari, he has been instrumental in establishing the internal Privacy Office. As a Senior Privacy Officer, he engages in policy discussions as a liaison, interacting with Japanese public sector entities and external experts on critical topics such as data privacy, amendments to the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, and artificial intelligence (AI). In this capacity, he plays a crucial role in supporting corporate governance while effectively communicating the company's perspectives. He also serves as the Chairman of the Data Utilization Strategy Working Group at Keidanren (Japan Business Federation). Furthermore, he has co-authored a book on how to write policies related to Cookies. 

Prior to his current role, Hiroshi joined Yahoo! Japan Corporation in 2012, where he contributed to their advertising and data businesses. During this period, he was involved in formulating privacy policies for leveraging data in advertising and led discussions on data management platforms (DMPs) in relation to privacy concerns. Notably, he also participated in the discussions for the first amendment of Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information. Concurrently, he served on the security team as a CISO-Board member, assisting the CISO, CDO, and CEO by offering insights from a privacy perspective.

In 2010, he moved to D2C Inc., where he took part in a project aimed at developing a search engine system designed to compete with Google's search advertising in Japan. His responsibilities included establishing and operating internal rules and review standards for advertising moderation.

Earlier in his career, after graduating from university, he began as a programmer and SE, joining an IT startup founded by a friend. In 2004, he transitioned to Recruit Co., Ltd., where he shifted from an engineering role to a governance position within the advertising business. His duties included reviewing advertisements and ensuring their compliance with relevant laws, such as the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act.