Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 15, 2025

WildWatch Japan (“we,” “us,” or “our”) operates the website available at https://wildwatch-japan.com (the “Site”).
We are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

If you have any questions, please contact us via our Contact page.

Who We Are

Website owner: WildWatch Japan
Website address: https://wildwatch-japan.com
This Site publishes original photos, videos, and articles about Japanese wildlife for a global audience.

What Personal Data We Collect and Why

Comments

When visitors leave comments, we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user-agent string to help with spam detection.
An anonymized string (hash) created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/. After your comment is approved, your profile image is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Media Uploads

If you upload images to the Site, avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the Site can download and extract location data from images.

Cookies

  • If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies for your convenience. These cookies last for 1 year.
  • If you visit our login page, we set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. It contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
  • When you log in, we set cookies to save your login information and display choices. Login cookies last 2 days, screen options cookies last 1 year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login persists for 2 weeks. Logging out removes the login cookies.
  • If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser; it contains no personal data and indicates the post ID of the article you edited. It expires after 1 day.

Embedded Content From Other Websites

Articles on this Site may include embedded content (e.g., YouTube videos, images, posts, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if you visited the other website directly. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Advertising (Google AdSense)

We display advertising through Google AdSense (Google LLC).

Analytics

We may use analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use the Site (e.g., pages viewed, time on page). Analytics may set cookies or read existing cookies and collect usage data in aggregate form. You can learn about Google Analytics’ privacy practices and opt-out tools at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Who We Share Your Data With

  • If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
  • Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam-detection service.
  • Advertising and analytics partners may process data as described above. We do not sell or rent your personal data.

How Long We Retain Your Data

  • Comments: If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely to recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically.
  • Registered users: For users that register on our Site (if any), we store the personal information provided in their user profile. Users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (username cannot be changed). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
  • Contact form submissions: Information submitted through contact forms may be retained for customer service purposes and to improve our services, but we do not use the information for marketing without your consent.

What Rights You Have Over Your Data

If you have an account on this Site or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you provided to us. You can also request that we erase personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
To make a request, please contact us via our Contact page.

EEA/UK residents: Where GDPR applies, you may also have rights to object to processing, request restriction of processing, and data portability. Our legal bases for processing typically include consent (e.g., cookies), performance of a contract (e.g., account management), and legitimate interests (e.g., Site security, spam prevention, analytics).

California residents: We do not sell personal information as defined by the CCPA. You may request disclosure or deletion of your personal information via our Contact page.

Children’s Privacy

This Site is not directed to children under 13 (or the relevant age in your jurisdiction), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided personal data, please contact us so we can delete it.

Data Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorized disclosure, or access. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

International Transfers

We operate in Japan, but some service providers (e.g., Google) may process data on servers located outside your country. By using the Site, you understand that your information may be transferred to and processed in countries that may have different data protection laws.

Links to Other Websites

Our Site may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those websites.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date. Your continued use of the Site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

Contact

For privacy inquiries or requests, please reach us via our Contact page.