Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

• When you create an account: display name, email address, password, language, and whether you want our newsletter. Passwords are stored only in encrypted form; we cannot read them.
• When you use the certification program: your training, reading and observation records, documents you submit, your viewing of seminar recordings, and the names and email addresses of people you ask to evaluate you (such as a pastor or colleague).
• When you contact us, sign up to stay in touch, or apply to volunteer: your name, email address, message, and anything else you enter (for volunteers: phone number, location, church, pastor's contact details and similar).
• When you order books: your name, email address and shipping address.
• Collected automatically: pages viewed, actions on the site, device and browser type, approximate region, and error information. We use cookies and similar technologies (section 3).

2. How we use it

• To provide your account, confirm your identity, and track your certification progress
• To send and manage evaluation requests
• To answer inquiries and consider volunteer applications
• To send news about training, events and new resources (only if you ask for it)
• To ship books and send order confirmation emails
• To improve this site, understand how it is used, and measure our advertising
• To prevent misuse

3. Cookies and external services

This site uses these Google services:

• Google Analytics (Firebase): to understand how this site is used
• Google Ads: to measure visits and sign-ups that come from our ads (ad click information is stored in a cookie)
• reCAPTCHA: to prevent abuse

For how they handle information, see Google's Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy). You can turn off cookies in your browser settings, though some features may then not work.

4. Where information is stored (transfer outside Japan)

Information entrusted to this site is stored on Firebase and Google Cloud servers provided by Google LLC (United States), mainly in the United States. For the personal information protection system of the United States, see the information published by Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission.

5. Sharing with third parties

Except where required by law, we do not share personal information with third parties without your consent, other than through the services in sections 3 and 4.

6. Security

Access to personal information is limited to the people who need it, and connections to this site are encrypted (HTTPS).

7. Requests to see, correct or delete your information

If you ask us to disclose, correct, stop using or delete your personal information, we will respond after confirming your identity. Some account details can be changed on your dashboard. Contact us at the address in section 8.

8. Contact

Japan Biblical Counseling Association, email: oicjapan.counseling@gmail.com

9. Changes

If we change this policy, we will post the change on this page.