This policy applies only to Hitachi websites that directly contain this Privacy Policy link.

If an individual Hitachi company or third party website displays or links to a separate privacy policy, that separate privacy policy will apply for those websites and supersede this policy.

This Privacy Policy of Hitachi America, LTD. and its affiliates is based on United States law.

Personal information that you provide to Hitachi by means of inquiry forms and e-mail through Hitachi's Web site is dealt with in accordance with this privacy policy. Whenever Hitachi obtains, holds, uses, or discloses your personal information, we endeavor to act in a way that is not detrimental to your rights and interests.

Through the formulation of appropriate security measures, Hitachi endeavors to prevent any leakage or loss of, or damage or unauthorized access to, personal information we obtain from you. Hitachi will use your personal information only for achieving one or more of the following objectives:

• To execute contracts concluded between you and Hitachi.
• To send you information concerning the holding of events, etc.
• To contact you regarding meetings or follow up discussions.
• To provide after-service for products
• To send guides or materials for new products.
• To provide various types of member services
• To perform stock-related tasks
• To respond to various types of inquiries
• To perform analysis to improve products or services, based on surveys.

When personal information is collected from you, we generally let you know at the time the information is collected how we will use the information. Usually, your personal information is used to respond to your inquiry or to process your request. This information may be shared with other Hitachi companies, if necessary to fulfill your request or for related purposes.

We may share the personal information you provide with other companies we have hired to provide services for us. These companies are contractually bound to the personal information we share with them only to perform the services we have hired them to provide.

A cookie is piece of information that enables interaction between the web server that manages a website and a customer’s web browser. A cookie may be stored as a file on the customer’s computer disk. When a cookie is used, the web server can record information such as which computer visited which pages on the website. However, Hitachi cannot identify an individual customer unless the customer enters his or her own personal information into the website.

2. Web Beacon

This technology, which functions with a cookie, enables the beacon owner to know how many times a customer accessed a particular page. However, unless the customer enters his or her own personal information when, or after, the cookie is accepted, Hitachi cannot identify an individual customer.

Unless your prior consent has been obtained, Hitachi will not provide your personal information to third parties. However, in any of the following cases Hitachi may provide personal information to third parties without your prior consent:

• If Hitachi is required to do so by law.
• If you direct Hitachi to do so.
• If it is necessary to do so in order to protect the lives, persons, or properties of individuals, and obtaining your prior consent is difficult.
• If it is necessary to cooperate with central government institutions, local governments, or any entities acting on their behalf for the execution of any legally prescribed business, and there is concern that obtaining your consent may impede the execution of the said business.
• When entrusted with the handling of personal information, in the range of activities required to reach the purpose of the use.
• When providing personal information to continue business activities when business-related events such as mergers occur.

When required to do so for business activities in which Hitachi is co-operating with other Hitachi Group Companies, Hitachi sometimes provides Hitachi Group Companies with personal information (such as names, workplaces, home addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.). In such cases, the customer’s personal information is provided on paper or electronic media. The customer can request Hitachi to stop the provision of the personal information to a Hitachi Group Company.

When a customer contacts Hitachi by telephone, the conversation may be recorded to aid accurate replies.

Hitachi adheres to all laws and regulations and other norms pertaining to the handling of personally identifiable information, and seeks to continually revise and improve the content of this privacy policy.