application business. After that, computer systems began to be introduced that mainly handled citizen's records, such as the basic resident register seal registration and electoral lists. Some local governments began to establish regulations for the protection of personal data handled by computer systems.
The Regulations Concerning Administration of Computer Organization established by Kunitachi city in Tokyo in 1975 set the pattern for such regulations. Regulations concerning privacy protection spread after Koto ward in Tokyo laid down the Regulations Concerning Protection of Computer Processed Personal Data in 1976.
In the early days, only the computer system and the enterprise entrusted with data processing were the object of the regulations. The regulations covered input and output and in particular they prohibited the input of information on individual thought social position with discriminatory origins, and criminal record. They also prohibited the destruction of data security and external connections.
Following the Regulations for the Protection of Personal Data laid down by Kasuga city in Fukuoka prefecture in 1984, ordinances for the protection of privacy that can be found today came to be enacted all over the country
2) Present situation concerning protection measures in local governments
The Ministry of Home Affairs conducts a survey into the establishment of regulations coverning personal data in local governments on 1 April every year and publishes the results.
a. Outline of survey results
As of 1 April 1997, 1,312 local governments had already established privacy protection regulations. This figure includes business associations and is an increase of 110 compared with the previous year. It also represents 39.5% of all local governments in Japan. (See Table 26)
In the past, it was mainly municipalities that established regulations, but recently the prefectures are also considering establishing regulations. The following 18 prefectures had established regulations as of 1 April 1997: Hokkaido, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Nagano, Aichi, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okinawa. This is an increase of two prefectures compared to the
