Although VPNs are not explicitly illegal in Japan, they are heavily regulated by the government. In recent years, censorship and surveillance throughout the country have increased as authorities attempt to tighten restrictions on activities deemed to be “unacceptable” or “undesirable”. As a result, government efforts have targeted VPNs to monitor and control access to information online.
In 2019, the Japanese government enacted its Network Security Law, which heavily restricted VPN use. Under this law, all companies must register any device accessing their networks through a VPN if it is not connected through one of their registered IP addresses. This means that if businesses wish to allow employees to use their own devices, they must register each one that will be connected through a VPN.
