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Hitachi Global
Press Release

Global Data Privacy Notice - English

Global Data Privacy Notice

Updated June 13, 2025

 

1. Introduction

All information relating to you that you share through this website (your “Personal Data”) is being collected by, and will be processed by, the Hitachi company you are applying to (as specified in the job description), Hitachi, Ltd. (1-6-6 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8280 Japan) and its other group companies (collectively, “Hitachi”). Hitachi engages third party data processing partners worldwide to process your Personal Data on Hitachi’s behalf to facilitate the recruitment process. These data processing partners include providers of applicant tracking and onboarding systems, digital signature software, career sites and background checks.
By creating a personal profile or submitting a job application through this website you acknowledge that your Personal Data may be accessed and/or processed by Hitachi in accordance with the terms of this Global Data Privacy Notice.

For the purpose of EU Regulation 2016/679, its UK equivalent (i.e. the General Data Protection Regulation; "GDPR") and applicable privacy laws (collectively, the “Privacy Laws”), Hitachi operates as Data Controllers of your Personal Data. The company you are applying to (the “Hitachi Recruiting Company”) is the primary Data Controller (or local equivalent) as it will process your Personal Data for the purpose of processing your employment application. However, Hitachi, Ltd. and its group companies may also assist the Hitachi Recruiting Company in processing your application which will involve those companies processing your Personal Data too. The Hitachi Recruiting Company will be identified on the job advert for the relevant role, however, should you wish to confirm the primary Data Controller for your Personal Data, please submit a request through our Contact Form  

California residents: some of the above-listed information identified as Personal Data constitutes "Personal Information" as defined in Cal. Civ. Code §1798.80(e) and/or protected classifications under California or US federal law.

 

If you do not wish for your Personal Data to be processed in accordance with this Global Data Privacy Notice, do not use this website to create a personal profile or to submit a job application to Hitachi. You are not under any statutory or contractual obligation to provide your Personal Data to Hitachi, but it is necessary for Hitachi to process your job application, without which Hitachi will be unable to do so. 


2. Personal Data Hitachi Collects

As part of the recruitment process (including offer and onboarding), according to country specific requirements, Hitachi will collect Personal Data (where in accordance with applicable law and necessary) from you that may include:

 

  • your contact information, such as your telephone number, postal address, email address and social media platform contact/numbers 
  • your name, date of birth, age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, language proficiency, export control status
  • information about your education, such as your academic history, academic and vocational qualifications, skills and competencies
  • subject to any restrictions or limitations imposed by applicable law, information about your current role and compensation, such as your job position, job grade, employment status, salary and benefits, bonus and commission entitlements
  • your CV/resume documents supporting your job application, including reference letters and transcripts
  • information about your employment history
  • information about your job application history with Hitachi
  • any other information you voluntarily provide, such as information regarding (or information sufficient to identify) any disability or other personal information
  • your IP address and your geolocation
  • applicable personal identity number (tax, citizenship, social security or possibly other type of individual number applicable for you due to your country and role)
  • data of your related persons (name of spouse/partner, children, etc.)
  • signature
  • bank account details
  • emergency contacts
  • insurance data
  • driving license number
  • training records
  • clothing and shoe size where necessary

In addition, Hitachi may also collect your Personal Data from your previous employer, any individuals you designate as referees and our background check vendors as part of the application process, depending on the requirements of the specific Hitachi Recruiting Company. This Personal Data may include:

 

  • information to verify your academic history, academic and vocational qualifications, your credibility, skills and competencies;
  • where in accordance with applicable law, a background check could also include a criminal record, driving record or financial check.

Use of this website as described in this notice will not oblige you to provide sensitive Personal Data (such as data relating to race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, trade union membership, criminal record, physical or mental health, or sexual orientation) unless such data is required by applicable laws or our background check processes (to the extent such background processes are compliant with applicable laws).  However, where permissible such sensitive Personal Data may be collected if you volunteer it in response to any questionnaire provided to you by Hitachi.  If you do volunteer sensitive Personal Data, that data will be used to develop and administer workplace benefits or to comply with applicable legal requirements, and by furnishing such data you provide explicit consent to its use for such purposes and in accordance with this Global Data Privacy Notice. Further information about how we use this Personal Data can be found on the page in the apply flow where you submit the data.

 

The Personal Data and other information that you submit to Hitachi as part of a job application must be complete and accurate.  Providing false or misleading Personal Data or other information during any stage of the application process may result in the termination of the job application process or subsequent termination of employment.


3. How Hitachi Uses Your Personal Data

Hitachi may use your Personal Data to: 

 

  • process your job application
  • evaluate your qualifications for the desired position
  • contact you at any time during the job application process via email, text message, WhatsApp or other social media platforms regarding the recruitment process
  • inform you about and consider you for future job opportunities that Hitachi believes may be of interest to you via email, text message, WhatsApp or other social media platforms. You may at any time request that we discontinue sending you such materials by following the unsubscribe instructions in the communication
  • suggest job opportunities through our careers platform
  • support any offer of employment by Hitachi
  • form the basis for your employee record in the event you are hired
  • contact you for further information where appropriate
  • comply with applicable legal requirements and Hitachi's employment and compliance policies
  • ensure the recruitment process is not discriminatory

 

All of these processing purposes are necessary for the relationship Hitachi has with you.

Hitachi will only collect and use your Personal Data where it has a legal basis for doing so.  In almost all cases the legal basis in the UK, the EEA and under Privacy Laws will be (depending on the nature of the Personal Data being processed):

 

  • that processing of the Personal Data is necessary to comply with a legal obligation; or
  • that processing of the Personal Data is necessary to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you; or
  • that processing of the Personal Data is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests of Hitachi; or
  • where you indicate that you would like Hitachi to retain your Personal Data for future job opportunities, or with respect to Personal Data volunteered in response to a voluntary diversity questionnaire, your explicit consent (you can withdraw this consent at any time by either following the unsubscribe instructions in the communication or submitting a deletion request in the career platform).

Hitachi will only collect and use any Sensitive Data in the UK and the EEA on the following legal bases:

 

  • processing is necessary for the purpose of carrying out the obligations and exercising specific rights of Hitachi in the field of employment; or
  • your explicit consent (you can withdraw this consent at any time by either following the unsubscribe instructions in the communication or submitting a deletion request in the career platform); or
  • that processing of the Personal Data is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest as set out in applicable local laws.

 

In almost all cases the legal basis in countries outside the UK and the EEA will be:

 

  • that you have expressly consented to the processing of your Personal Data for the purposes set out in this Global Data Privacy Notice; or
  • that it is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests of Hitachi; or
  • that processing of the Personal Data is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

 

When relying on the legitimate interests basis for processing your Personal Data, Hitachi will balance the legitimate interest pursued by Hitachi with your interests and fundamental rights and freedoms in relation to the protection of your Personal Data to ensure it is the most appropriate legal basis for processing your Personal Data.


4. How Hitachi Shares and Protects Your Personal Data

Your Personal Data will be shared within Hitachi to staff responsible for processing job applications and performing recruitment functions for purposes relating to the administration, evaluation and management of your job application or future job opportunities as described in this Global Data Privacy Notice. In all events, your Personal data will be transferred in accordance with all applicable laws , and we will use safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

 

Hitachi’s written data processing arrangements with our third party data processing partners also ensure the protection of your Personal Data that is transferred to those parties.  Such protections include Standard Contractual Clauses for transfers of Personal Data to a country whose laws do not provide an adequate level of protection.  

 

You can ask for a copy of the Standard Contractual Clauses we have entered into concerning your Personal Data, or any other safeguard Hitachi employs to protect your Personal Data, submit a request through our Contact Form .
Hitachi and its data processing partners also use appropriate organizational and technical measures to protect your Personal Data.

 

While we endeavour to always protect our systems, sites, operations and information against unauthorized access, use, modification and disclosure, due to the inherent nature of using online platforms, we cannot guarantee that any information, during transmission or while stored on our systems, will be absolutely safe from intrusion by others.

 

All job candidates also have an important role in protecting Personal Data. Employees should not share any username, password or other authentication data provided to them with anyone, and we recommend that you do not re-use passwords across more than one website or application. 


5. Your Rights

In certain countries, you may have certain rights under data protection law. These rights may include the following: 

 

  • Right of access
    You may have the right to confirm with Hitachi whether your Personal Data is processed, and if it is, to request access to that Personal Data including the categories of Personal Data processed, the purpose of the processing and the recipients or categories of recipients of that Personal Data. 
  • Right to rectification
    You may have the right to rectify inaccurate or incomplete Personal Data concerning you. In addition, the career platform offers a self-service function that allows you to access and review some of your Personal Data. Hitachi encourages you to review this Personal Data regularly to ensure that it is complete and up-to-date.
  • Right to erasure (right to be forgotten)
    You may have the right to ask Hitachi to erase Personal Data concerning you, although please note that this is not an absolute right. There are circumstances where you may not be able to exercise this right, and there are also circumstances where Hitachi can refuse to comply with your request, for example, where Hitachi needs to process your Personal Data to defend legal claims.  In addition, the career platform offers a self-service function that allows you to request erasure of your Personal Data.
  • Right to restriction of processing
    In limited circumstances, you may have the right to request that Hitachi restrict processing of your Personal Data, including the right to limit use and disclosure of sensitive information.
  • Right to data portability
    You may have the right to receive Personal Data concerning you, which you have provided to Hitachi, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and you may have the right to transmit that data to another entity.
  • Right to object and rights relating to automated decision-making
    Under certain circumstances you may have the right to object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, at any time to the processing of your Personal Data, including profiling, by Hitachi, and Hitachi can be required to no longer process your Personal Data. This may include requesting human intervention in relation to any automated decision so that you can express your view and to contest the decision.
  • Right to withdraw consent
    To the extent the processing of your personal information is based on your consent, you may withdraw your consent at any time. The lawfulness of Hitachi’s processing before you withdraw your consent will not be affected by such withdrawal.
  • Right to define directives regarding the processing of your Personal Data after death
    You may also have the right to define directives concerning the conservation, deletion and communication of your personal data after your death.
  • In some jurisdictions you may be entitled to additional rights. To obtain further details, submit a request through our Contact Form

 

To exercise any of these rights, submit a request through our Contact Form .

 

Applicants to Hitachi Recruiting Companies may have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority as well as seek legal redress. The details of the competent supervisory authorities can be obtained by a request through our Contact Form.

 

To the extent the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, codified at Cal. Civ. Code §1798.100 et seq. is applicable to your Personal Data, Hitachi affirms that it shall not: (i) sell or share your Personal Data or transfer your Personal Data for valuable consideration; or (ii) retain, use, or disclose your Personal Data for any purpose, whether commercial or not, other than as identified in Section 3.  Hitachi will promptly notify you if it is no longer able to comply with this Section.


6. Retention of Your Personal Data

It is Hitachi’s policy not to process your Personal Data for longer than is necessary for its purposes. Hitachi retains each category of your personal data for various reasons, including considering you for future job opportunities at Hitachi, defending any legal challenge concerning a recruitment decision, and where required under applicable laws.

 

If you do not want Hitachi to retain your Personal Data for the purpose of considering you for future job opportunities, you can withdraw your consent to us processing your Personal Data by submitting a deletion request in the careers platform. Please note that Hitachi may still retain some of your Personal Data in that instance if required by law or to defend any legal claim.


7. Updates to this Global Data Privacy Notice

Hitachi reserves the right to amend this Global Data Privacy Notice at any time by posting an updated or amended version on this website.  As a user of this website you accept that it is your responsibility to check regularly for such updates or amendments and that it is not the responsibility of Hitachi to alert you individually to such updates or amendments. The title of the Global Data Privacy Notice indicates the date of the last update.


8. How to Contact Hitachi:

You can contact Hitachi about this Global Data Privacy Notice, submit a request through our Contact Form .

 

Some companies within the Hitachi group have data protection officers. If you would like to contact the data protection officer for the Hitachi company you are applying to, please submit a request through our Contact Form .