PDL Japan and local variants

Japan has launched the Public Data License (PDL 1.0) (English translation). A preliminary review indicates that the basic components of the license are compatible with ODbL. However, the license permits each dataset to be accompanied by further limitations under an "Important note" section, which may contain limitations that make that dataset not compatible.

Evaluating Japanese Open Data Licenses

Thus, the Licensing Working Group's (LWG) has determined that Japan PDL 1.0 datasets should be reviewed for compatibility on a license by license basis.

For example, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan license page includes a number of additional notes that pertain to particular datasets, most of which can be accommodated, but some of which cannot:

- Requested citation format for specific data sources (compatible)

- Request that modifications to the original data should be noted (compatible)

- A note that reprints of articles from a newsletter would require permission from the authors (would not be compatible, but irrelevant since OSM does not ingest articles)

- Additional terms that apply to API usage (potentially relevant in that they may constrain use of the API to download or query data, but not a license compatibility issue)

- Further limits on results from the Survey Act (generally incompatible)

Unfortunately, these "important information" sections are mostly written in Japanese, and LWG does not have any Japanese-speaking members, hampering review.

When submitting a dataset for review by LWG, please email to legal-questions@osmfoundation.org the following:

1) the specific dataset you wish to use for OSM,

2) a machine translation of any additional terms in the "important information" section, and

3) an explanation of whether you think the machine translation is accurate, with any additional nuance you wish to provide.

Approved Licenses

The following licences have been officially deemed compatible, after review by the LWG. Other variants may also be deemed compatible. This list is work in process and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Note: All of these licences require attribution, and most sources specific the citation format preferred in the license notes. Before importing Japan open data, check to make sure the data source you are using is listed appropriately at https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Contributors#Japan with the appropriate attribution, and as always, for imports, please abide by the Import Guidelines.

• PDL 1.0 Simple Ortho Images (Nagaoka Area 2024), compatible (however, note that use of public survey results based on the Survey Act (Act No. 188 of 1949) (e.g., aerial photographs other than simple orthoimages, digital elevation models (DEM)) for map preparation requires approval to the Forestry Agency, which likely means those sources cannot be used for OSM) (LWG minutes 202Y-MM-DD)