Cookie Policy - SG Group

01 — Position & scope

Position of this Policy

This Policy provides clear information about technologies that store information on, or access information from, a user’s device and gives users practical controls over those technologies.

This Policy applies to the Operator’s Japanese and English websites, analysis indexes, free and paid articles, post-purchase and subscription reading pages, web tools, forms, payment integrations, and other web functionality controlled by the Operator.
Where information obtained through cookies or similar technologies constitutes personal information, personal data, or personal-related information, the separately published Privacy Policy also applies.
This Policy is not itself a substitute for consent to optional cookies. Consent is obtained through CookieYes or another clear affirmative choice. Merely continuing to browse, scrolling, remaining silent, or reading this Policy is not treated as consent.
When a user leaves the Operator’s website for a third-party website, marketplace, payment provider, or embedded-content provider, that third party’s cookie and privacy policies apply to its own processing.

The current cookie inventory prevails

This Policy explains purposes and governance principles. For the current cookie name, provider, domain, purpose, duration, and category, users should consult the “Cookies currently in use” section on this page and the latest information shown in the CookieYes preferences interface.

02 — Definitions

Cookies and similar technologies

This Policy covers not only conventional cookies but other technologies that store information on, or access information from, a device.

Cookie: A small item of data stored by a browser or device when a website is accessed and used to recognise a device, maintain a session, remember settings, or perform measurement.
Similar technologies: Local storage, session storage, pixels, tags, SDKs, caches, device or browser identifiers, link decoration, and other technologies that store or access information on a device.
First-party technology: A cookie or similar technology set or used through the sggroup.jp domain or another mechanism controlled by the Operator.
Third-party technology: A cookie or similar technology set or used by an external provider of payment, consent management, analytics, security, advertising, embedded content, or another service.
Session cookie: A cookie generally used during a browser session and expiring when the browser is closed or another specified condition occurs.
Persistent cookie: A cookie that remains on a device until its stated expiry date or until the user deletes it.
Consent interface: The CookieYes banner, detailed preferences panel, revisit icon, or another mechanism through which a user consents, refuses, changes, or withdraws consent by category.

03 — Purposes

Why the Operator uses these technologies

The data processed and categories used vary according to the page, service, location, device, consent choice, and third-party services currently deployed.

Purpose	Typical processing	General classification
Website operation and transmission	Page delivery, load balancing, network transmission, recovery, and technical display	Necessary
Security and fraud prevention	Session protection, bot and abuse detection, duplicate-use controls, payment-fraud checks, and error diagnosis	Necessary
Consent management	Remembering CookieYes consent, refusal, categories, consent ID, and settings version	Necessary
Paid-publication access	Purchase, subscription, trial, and access-period checks; continued authentication; fewer repeated login prompts	Necessary
Language and display settings	Japanese–English routing and remembering user-selected language, region, display, or input settings	Necessary or functional
Payments and applications	Checkout, selected product, post-payment return, customer portal, and billing-status integration	Necessary
Analytics and improvement	Aggregating visits, navigation paths, device types, speed, errors, and feature usage	Analytics or performance
Advertising and measurement	Advertising, conversion measurement, frequency controls, and affiliate or campaign attribution	Advertisement or measurement
External content and support	Video, maps, social media, chat, forms, and external widgets	Functional, analytics, advertising, or other

The classifications above are general indicators. Whether a specific use qualifies for an exception or may operate without consent depends on what the technology actually does, whether it is required for a function expressly requested by the user, whether there is any secondary purpose, and the conditions of applicable law. Advertising is not treated as “necessary” merely because it funds the Operator’s activities.

04 — SG Group-specific functions

Subscription access and language optimisation

In addition to ordinary website functions, the Operator may use cookies or similar technologies to provide friction-reduced access to financial and market publications and to optimise the Japanese or English experience.

Continued authentication and paid-publication pass-through

To avoid requiring an Individual Purchaser or active subscriber to repeat login or authentication every time an eligible article is opened, the Operator may use a signed or randomised session identifier, entitlement token, or equivalent device-side information. It may be used to verify the purchased publication, subscription or trial status, access period, authentication result, and signs of misuse.

Full payment-card numbers, expiry dates, and security codes are not stored in these cookies.
Deleting, refusing, or allowing an authentication cookie to expire may require a new email authentication, one-time code, login, or equivalent check.
Access-authentication data is not used to generate or alter an instrument, market view, article conclusion, ordering, or investment decision for a particular user. The same issue, language, and edition is supplied as common editorial content to eligible purchasers and subscribers.
Where account sharing, excessive concurrent use, session hijacking, or another abuse is suspected, re-authentication or access restriction may occur even while a cookie remains present.

Japanese–English language optimisation

The Operator may use browser-language settings, the language path in the requested URL, a user’s express language selection, a previous language preference, and other necessary information to show or recommend a more suitable Japanese or English page.

An express manual language choice is, as a rule, given priority over automated detection.
Language settings are used to improve reading experience, not to infer nationality, ethnicity, political opinions, health information, or another sensitive characteristic.
If a language cookie is refused or deleted, users may still visit a language-specific URL directly, but automatic detection may run again on a later visit.

Consent records through CookieYes

To apply the user’s choice on a return visit, avoid unnecessary repeat prompts, and retain evidence of consent, the consent interface may process a consent ID, accepted or rejected categories, date and time, region, browser or device information, and the policy or settings version. Such information is used for consent management, audit, and legal-compliance purposes.

05 — Categories

Types of technologies used

CookieYes labels and classifications may change as settings are updated, but the Operator generally manages technologies under the following categories.

06 — Current inventory

Cookies currently in use

The area below is intended to display cookie name, category, provider, purpose, domain, and duration based on the latest CookieYes scan and information manually maintained by the Operator.

Inventory maintenance

When a plugin, measurement tag, payment or authentication function, embedded item, or other technology is added or changed, the Operator endeavours to re-scan the website and review category, description, provider, duration, and prior-blocking conditions in CookieYes.

07 — Consent, refusal & withdrawal

Managing cookie preferences

Users can consent to, refuse, customise, or withdraw optional categories through the CookieYes consent interface.

In addition to the button above, the CookieYes revisit icon normally shown at the bottom-left of the screen can be used to review and change preferences at any time.

Consent to optional technologies is obtained by a freely made, informed, specific, and affirmative choice.
Refusal of optional categories does not, as a rule, improperly prevent access to pages or functions that can be supplied with necessary technologies only. A discrete feature — such as external video or chat — may nevertheless be unavailable if it cannot technically operate without a technology the user has not enabled.
Withdrawal operates prospectively and does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Necessary cookies and processing based on statutory retention, security, contract performance, dispute handling, or another lawful basis may continue to the extent required after optional consent is withdrawn.
Clearing all browser cookies may remove the CookieYes consent ID and cause a new consent prompt on a later visit.
On a shared device, the Operator endeavours to respect the most recent choice made by the current user rather than an earlier user’s preference.

08 — EU, EEA & UK

Prior consent and data-protection lawful bases

For users in the EU, EEA, or UK, the Operator distinguishes between storing or accessing information on a device and the subsequent processing of personal data, and applies the mandatory rules of the relevant jurisdiction.

Storage or access on a device

Under national laws implementing the ePrivacy Directive, UK PECR, and other applicable rules, consent is obtained before optional storage or access unless the use is strictly necessary or another statutory exception applies.
Consent is intended to be freely given, specific, informed, and indicated through an unambiguous affirmative action. Silence, pre-ticked controls, continued browsing, and inaction are not treated as consent.
Where technically essential to transmission, security, fraud prevention, user authentication, remembering a consent choice, paid purchase or subscription access expressly requested by the user, or another requested service, the Operator may rely on a strictly-necessary or equivalent exception available under applicable law.
Where local law permits an exception for limited statistics or appearance and functionality preferences, that exception is used only if its conditions — including clear information, an easy and free objection mechanism, and strict purpose limitation — are satisfied.

Lawful bases for personal-data processing

Personal data obtained through optional technologies is generally processed on the basis of consent.
Server-side processing required for purchase or subscription access, authentication, security, payment integration, statutory records, or rights requests may rely, according to the purpose, on contract performance, legal obligation, legitimate interests, or another lawful basis recognised by applicable law.
Legitimate interests or another data-processing basis is not used to bypass a consent requirement for storage or access on a device.
Fresh consent is sought where a material change to purpose, provider, category, or use requires it.

Jurisdiction-specific requirements

Cookie exceptions, banner presentation, duration, and related requirements may differ between EU Member States, supervisory-authority guidance, and UK law. Any mandatory local rule that affords greater protection prevails over a less protective statement in this Policy.

09 — Third-party services

External providers and embedded content

The Operator uses external technologies where appropriate. The services actually active depend on the page, location, consent choice, and current configuration.

Consent management: CookieYes banner, prior blocking, category choices, consent log, and cookie inventory.
Hosting, delivery, and security: Servers, CDNs, WAFs, load balancing, caching, bot controls, and fault monitoring.
Payments: Stripe and other payment or billing services. A payment provider may use its own necessary technologies on a page it controls.
Analytics and performance: Services that measure usage, faults, speed, or conversion.
Advertising and affiliates: Services used, where configured, to measure advertisements, conversions, referral paths, or campaign performance.
Embedded and external functionality: Video, social media, maps, chat, forms, fonts, or other external content. Information may be sent to the external provider when the user elects to play, connect, submit, or otherwise activate the feature.

A third party’s own policy also governs its purpose, retention, onward sharing, and user controls. In jurisdictions requiring consent, the Operator configures optional third-party scripts not to run before consent to the extent technically possible.

10 — Transfers & retention

Processing locations and retention periods

Processing outside the user’s jurisdiction

Use of CookieYes, payment, hosting, analytics, security, and other providers may result in information obtained through these technologies being processed outside Japan, the EEA, or the UK. Where required, the Operator uses an adequacy mechanism, standard contractual clauses, contractual, organisational, and technical safeguards, or another lawful transfer mechanism. Further information is set out in the Privacy Policy.

Retention on the device

The specific duration of each cookie is shown in the dynamic inventory on this page.
A session cookie expires when the browser closes or another stated condition occurs. A persistent cookie may remain until the earliest of its stated expiry, fulfilment of purpose, a settings change, or user deletion.
A cookie’s expiry period may differ from retention of server-side access logs, payment records, consent evidence, security records, or records retained by law.
The Operator endeavours to review settings and the inventory periodically so that a retention period is not longer than necessary for its purpose.

11 — Browser & device controls

Deletion, blocking, and privacy signals

In addition to CookieYes preferences, a user can delete or restrict cookies and similar technologies through browser or device settings.

Browser controls commonly allow a user to inspect, delete individually, delete all, restrict third-party cookies, or set site-specific permissions.
Private browsing, content blockers, security software, or browser extensions may prevent the CookieYes inventory, preferences interface, or another feature from displaying or working correctly.
Blocking all cookies or local storage may prevent continued paid-publication authentication, language persistence, post-payment return, forms, security, or other functions from operating correctly.
Do Not Track, Global Privacy Control, and other browser or device signals are recognised to the extent required by applicable law and technically detectable. Where a signal has no uniform legal effect, users should use the CookieYes consent interface.
Preferences may be stored separately for each browser, device, profile, or domain and may not automatically synchronise across devices.

12 — Japanese-law treatment

Personal information and personal-related information

Depending on the circumstances, a cookie identifier, browsing history, purchase history, or service-use history may constitute personal-related information or personal information under Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information.

Even where a cookie identifier does not by itself identify an individual, it may constitute information relating to the user of a device and therefore personal-related information.
If the information can be readily cross-checked with purchase, inquiry, customer, or other data held by the Operator so as to identify an individual, the combined information is treated as personal information.
Where personal-related information is provided to a third party and it is anticipated that the recipient will acquire it as personal data, the Operator takes measures required under Japanese law, including confirmation of the data subject’s consent where applicable.
Purposes, third-party provision, processors, cross-border transfers, data-subject requests, and safeguards are addressed in the Privacy Policy.

13 — Changes

Updates to this Policy and cookie settings

The Operator may update this Policy and CookieYes settings when laws, regulatory guidance, website functionality, external providers, or purposes change.

An updated version takes effect when posted on this page and the “Last updated” date is changed, unless applicable law or a specific notice requires a different effective date.
Where a change materially affects the purpose, provider, category, or other matter to which a user previously consented, consent is reset and requested again where required.
A drafting clarification, contact update, or necessary security change that does not require renewed consent may be notified by updating this page.

14 — Contact & related pages

Cookie inquiries

Questions about this Policy, the cookie inventory, consent management, access authentication, or language settings may be submitted in writing to the following desk.

SG Group · Legal & Compliance Desk contact@sggroup.jp