Privacy Policy
In response to the full enforcement of the "Act on the Protection of Personal Information" on April 1, 2005, the nonprofit organization, the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology, establishes its privacy policy as follows.
1. Definition of personal information
"Personal information" refers to information on an individual where the individual is identifiable by name, date of birth, address, ID, password, telephone number, e-mail address, image, voice, or other data contained therein. The information is in a form that can be managed using recording media such as papers or computers, that can be retained in paper format or that is saved in any information device (including personal computers, servers, terminals, recording media, and data communication equipment).
2. Purpose and scope of collecting members' personal information
The nonprofit organization, the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (hereinafter referred to as the "Society") collects personal information from its members to use for the following purposes: contacting the members from the Secretariat; dispatching official journals to the members; preparing the membership list; facilitating communication between the members for committee meetings etc.; and sending invitations to seminars, symposiums, or other events sponsored, co-hosted, or supported by the Society. The Society does not use personal information for any purpose other than the intended use without consent of the members. If the need arises for use of members' personal information beyond the purposes specified above, the Society will inform the members of the purpose thereof in advance. Whenever any member disagrees with the new purpose, he/she may refuse it at his/her own discretion.
3. Members' right of refusal and restrictions
Any member who does not wish to provide his/her personal information may withhold such information at his/her own discretion. However, withholding personal information may partly restrict the rights of the member to engage in Society activities (e.g., a member who does not disclose his/her date of birth cannot apply for the certificate examination for Diplomate or cannot be a candidate for an Officer such as a Councilor or Director).
4. Outsourcing and supervision over trustees
To offer safer and more efficient services to its members, the Society may provide personal information and entrust its operations to juridical persons, (hereinafter referred to as "trustees"), that have been deemed trustworthy by the Society and with whom the Society has signed a confidentiality agreement. The Society only discloses necessary information to trustees within the extent of necessary purposes and prohibits them from using the information for any purpose other than offering services to Society members.
5. Disclosure of members' personal information
The Society does not disclose members' personal information to third parties other than trustees without consent of the members. In cases where it is necessary for the running of the Society, however, the partial or entire list of members (including only the necessary items of personal information) may be provided or disclosed to related authorities or organizations (e.g., the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences) without consent of the members. The Society may also disclose personal information without consent of the members if such disclosure is required by laws and regulations or by the court, police, or other public authorities.
6. Management of members' personal information and security measures
The Society endeavors to protect members' personal information by taking appropriate and reasonable security measures against risks such as unauthorized access from outside, as well as leakage of members' personal information. With regard to access to databases containing personal information, the Society limits the access rights to authorized persons only, and manages them strictly to prevent inappropriate use of personal information within the Secretariat. In addition, the Society ensures trustees' appropriate management of members' personal information to prevent its leakage, unauthorized access, etc.
7. Inquiries and correction/deletion of members' personal information
If any member wishes to review his/her personal information retained by the Society, it will be made available to him/her only when the Society confirms the identity of the member making the request, in order to prevent leakage of members' personal information to third parties. When personal information retained by the Society concerning any member is found to be incorrect or to have changed since it was provided to the Society, the Society will correct or delete the inaccurate or outdated information upon request from the member only when the Society confirms his/her identity, to prevent falsification of members' personal information by third parties. To facilitate communication with members, however, in cases where a member's contact information becomes unknown due to changes to his/her affiliation or address, the Secretariat may contact the previous affiliation to obtain his/her new contact information, and based on the information obtained, his/her personal information may be corrected or deleted.
8. Retention period of members' personal information
Personal information collected from a member is retained by the Society for the duration of the period for which it is needed for admission procedures or for his/her activities as a member of the Society. Personal information is destroyed as follows: (1) within three months after an individual's registration with the Society if his/her application for Society membership is unsuccessful; (2) within one month from the date a meeting of the Board of Directors is convened if an individual's admission is rejected by the Board of Directors; (3) after one complete fiscal year has passed if an individual's Society membership is terminated due to his/her withdrawal from the Society.
9. Policy for the protection of patients' personal information
The Society and members thereof shall not provide, receive or disclose patient names or information directly identifying individual patients during presentations at any meetings including annual General Assemblies, within official journals, in the application documents for certificates of Diplomate or training institutes, application for a Faculty (tentative) position, or in similar circumstances. When such information needs to be provided, received or disclosed, a document in which the patient's agreement is noted shall be prepared in advance.
10. Person responsible for management of personal information
The person responsible for management of personal information in the Society shall be the President of the Board of Directors, JSMO.
11. Revision of this policy
The Society may revise this policy to enhance protection of personal information from patients and members of the Society, or in accordance with amendments to applicable Japanese laws and regulations. Any revision of this policy will be disclosed by the Society. Any member who disagrees with the revised policy may refuse it at his/her own discretion.
*Japanese Version to Govern
The original version of this Privacy Policy has been prepared in Japanese. In the event of any discrepancy between the English and Japanese versions, the Japanese version will govern.