Privacy Policy

1. Basic Policy

We handle personal information in accordance with applicable laws and relevant guidelines concerning the protection of personal information. Information collected through this website is used and managed only within the scope reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

2. Information We May Collect

Information you provide

When you use our inquiry form or contact us by email, we may collect information you voluntarily provide, including your name, company or organization name, email address, telephone number, website URL, inquiry details and other information included in your message.

Website-use information

To understand website usage and improve content, navigation and service quality, this website may use cookies or similar technologies to collect information such as pages viewed, referring source, device information, browser information and interactions with the website.

This information is generally used in aggregate for website analysis and improvement and is not used by us for the purpose of identifying individual visitors.

3. Purposes of Use

Information collected through this website may be used for the following purposes:

• To respond to inquiries, consultations and requests.
• To evaluate whether and how we can provide services.
• To prepare proposals, estimates or project plans.
• To perform contracts and provide agreed services.
• To issue invoices and manage business communications.
• To provide support related to ongoing or completed engagements.
• To manage inquiry and transaction history.
• To analyze website usage and improve this website, its content and our services.
• To respond to spam, fraud, abuse, security incidents or other activity that may interfere with safe website operation.
• To comply with applicable legal obligations.

4. Appropriate Collection, Management and Security

We collect information by appropriate means and take reasonable administrative and technical measures to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, leakage, loss, alteration or misuse.

Such measures may include access restrictions, account and password management, software and service updates, and limiting access to information to the extent reasonably necessary for business operations.

Information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, for business administration, or to meet applicable legal and record-keeping requirements. Information that is no longer required is deleted or disposed of appropriately.

5. Disclosure to Third Parties

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

We do not provide personal data to third parties without the individual’s consent except where permitted or required by applicable law, including where disclosure is necessary to comply with legal obligations or to protect life, health, property, rights or security.

6. Service Providers and External Services

We use external service providers where reasonably necessary for website operation, hosting, email transmission and storage, analytics and other business operations. Those providers may process information only to the extent necessary to provide their respective services.

Information submitted through inquiry forms may be stored on the website server and/or within the WordPress administration environment depending on the form configuration. Notification emails and related business communications are received and managed through Google Workspace.

Google Analytics 4

This website uses Google Analytics 4, provided by Google LLC. Google Analytics may use cookies or similar technologies to collect information about website usage, such as pages viewed, traffic sources, device information and interactions with the website.

We use this information to understand website performance and improve content and navigation. We do not use Google Analytics for the purpose of identifying individual visitors.

For information about how Google handles data, please see Google’s Privacy Policy. Google also provides a Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

External websites

This website may contain links to websites operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of external websites. Please review the privacy policy of the relevant third party when using those services.

7. Cookies

Cookies are small pieces of information stored in a visitor’s browser by a website. They may be used to support website functionality and to understand how visitors use the website.

You may reject, restrict or delete cookies through your browser settings. Some website functions may not operate as intended if certain cookies are disabled.

8. Requests Concerning Personal Data

If you wish to request notice of purpose, disclosure, correction, addition, deletion, suspension of use, erasure or suspension of third-party provision regarding personal data held by us, please contact us using the information below.

We will respond in accordance with applicable law after taking reasonable steps to verify the requester’s identity.

9. Japan Search Brief

Japan Search Brief is the editorial and research publication operated by Trees Consulting. It publishes English-language information about Japan SEO, Japanese search, market entry, keyword research, technical SEO and AI search.

Japan Search Brief and the commercial service pages of Trees Consulting are presented as separate parts of this website, but both are operated by the same business and are covered by this Privacy Policy.

For information about Japan Search Brief, its purpose and publisher, see About Japan Search Brief.

Its approach to sourcing, provider comparisons, corrections, commercial relationships and AI-assisted editorial workflows is described in the Editorial Policy.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy in response to changes in applicable requirements, website functionality, services used or our business operations.

The version published on this page is the current policy. Material changes may be announced on this website where appropriate.

11. Business Operator and Contact

For general inquiries, you may also use the contact page.