October 16, 2026

Effective date: October 16, 2026
Last updated: October 16, 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how The Nihon Review (“The Nihon Review,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and shares information when you visit https://www.nihonreview.com/ (the “Site”). The Site is operated by an individual based in California, United States. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described in this policy.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide to us

  • Comments. When you leave a comment, we collect the name, email address, and website (if provided) that you enter, the content of your comment, and your IP address and browser user-agent string to help detect spam. Your name, website, and comment are publicly visible; your email address is not.
  • Newsletter sign-ups. If you subscribe to our newsletter or email updates, we collect your email address and any other details you choose to provide (such as your name).
  • Contact form submissions. If you contact us through a form or by email, we collect your name, email address, and the contents of your message.

Information collected automatically

  • Usage and device data. Like most websites, we and our service providers automatically collect information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring URL, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and approximate location (city/region level) derived from your IP address.
  • Cookies and similar technologies. We use cookies and similar technologies as described in Section 4 below.

2. How We Use Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Operate, maintain, and improve the Site and its content;
  • Display and moderate comments, and protect the Site against spam and abuse;
  • Send newsletters or updates you have requested (you may unsubscribe at any time);
  • Respond to your questions, feedback, and requests;
  • Understand how visitors use the Site through aggregated analytics;
  • Maintain the security and technical integrity of the Site; and
  • Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it to make decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you.

3. How We Share Information

We share information only in the following circumstances:

  • Service providers. We rely on third parties to host the Site, provide analytics, filter spam, and deliver email. These providers process information on our behalf and only as needed to provide their services. Examples include our web hosting provider, Google Analytics, spam-protection services (such as Akismet), and our email/newsletter provider.
  • Public comments. Comments you post, along with your display name and website, are visible to anyone who visits the Site.
  • Gravatar. If you leave a comment, an anonymized string created from your email address (a “hash”) may be sent to the Gravatar service (operated by Automattic) to check whether you have a Gravatar profile picture. See Automattic’s Privacy Policy.
  • Legal reasons. We may disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
  • Change of ownership. If the Site is transferred to a new owner, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.

4. Cookies and Analytics

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use:

  • Essential and functional cookies. WordPress may set cookies when you leave a comment (to remember your name, email, and website for future comments) or when you log in. These typically expire within one year.
  • Analytics cookies. We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use the Site. Google Analytics collects information such as pages visited, time on site, and device and browser details. You can learn more at How Google uses information from sites that use its services, and you can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Most browsers let you block or delete cookies through their settings. Blocking cookies may affect some features of the Site, such as remembering your comment details.

5. Embedded Content from Other Websites

Pages on the Site may include embedded content such as YouTube trailers, social media posts, or images from other sites. Embedded content behaves as if you visited the other website directly: those websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including if you are logged in to an account with that website. Their use of your information is governed by their own privacy policies, for example Google/YouTube’s Privacy Policy.

6. Advertising and Affiliate Links

The Site does not currently display advertising or use affiliate links. We may introduce them in the future. If we do, this section and Section 4 will be updated before those features go live. Specifically:

  • Advertising. If we use Google AdSense or similar ad networks, third-party vendors, including Google, may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this Site and/or other sites on the internet. You will be able to opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or www.aboutads.info.
  • Affiliate links. If we use affiliate links (for example, to retailers selling Blu-rays, manga, or merchandise), clicking those links may result in the retailer setting cookies to track the referral, and we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links will be disclosed on the pages where they appear.

7. Data Retention

  • Comments and their metadata are kept indefinitely so that follow-up comments can be recognized and approved automatically, unless you ask us to delete them.
  • Newsletter subscriber information is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
  • Contact messages are kept only as long as reasonably needed to respond and for our records.
  • Analytics data is retained according to our Google Analytics retention settings (generally no longer than 14 months).

8. Your Rights and Choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal information we hold about you;
  • Request that we correct inaccurate information;
  • Request that we delete your personal information (including your comments);
  • Object to or restrict certain processing, or withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
  • Unsubscribe from emails at any time using the link in any email we send.

To make a request, email us at our Contact Page. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights.

California residents

If you are a California resident, you may have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (together, “CCPA”), to the extent it applies to us, including the right to know what personal information we collect, use, and disclose; the right to delete and correct personal information; and the right to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. We do not sell personal information, and we do not currently “share” personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Under California’s “Shine the Light” law, you may also request information about disclosures of personal information to third parties for their direct marketing purposes; we make no such disclosures.

Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control

Some browsers send “Do Not Track” signals. Because there is no common industry standard for these signals, the Site does not currently respond to them. If we begin advertising activities covered by Section 6, we will honor Global Privacy Control (GPC) signals as a valid opt-out request where required by law.

Visitors from the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom

If you are located in the EEA or UK, we process your personal information on the following legal bases: our legitimate interests (operating, securing, and improving the Site and moderating comments), your consent (newsletter sign-ups and, where required, non-essential cookies), and compliance with legal obligations. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority. Your information will be processed in the United States, which may have different data protection laws than your country.

9. Children’s Privacy

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

10. Security

We take reasonable measures to protect the information we collect, including using HTTPS encryption and keeping our software up to date. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Links to Other Websites

The Site contains links to other websites, such as streaming services, publishers, and studios. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. If we make material changes, such as adding advertising or affiliate programs, we will post a notice on the Site. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted means you accept the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:

The Nihon Review
Email: Contact Page