Announcing a New Azure AD, part of Microsoft Entra, region in Japan

As public and private organizations continue to grow their cloud presence to improve workflows, reduce inefficiencies, and empower employees, there's an increased concern about data residency, privacy, compliance, and security. Microsoft is committed to addressing these concerns for all organizations with a full suite of offerings, including more than 50 that are country or regional specific.   

Today we're delighted to announce that starting in October 2022, Microsoft customers in Japan can access Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), part of Microsoft Entra, features through our infrastructure in Japan. This replaces the system where the Azure AD data of customers based out of Japan was stored in other global regions. With over 500 million monthly active users, 500,000 customers, and 45 billion daily authentications, Azure AD enables organizations and individuals across the globe to achieve more by addressing their key security and privacy requirements. Microsoft’s Identity and Access Management solutions powered by a Zero Trust framework provide a secure platform for businesses and individuals alike to accomplish their goals. 

Beginning in October 2022, authentication, core directory storage, and premium features storage will be available from Japan, allowing all new customers to store their Azure AD data in Japan. Authentication requests originating from Japan will also be processed and handled in Japan (learn more at Customer data storage for Japan customers - Azure AD | Microsoft Docs). This is particularly important in industries such as healthcare, financial services, and government, as it will assist with their local regulatory requirements while offering another level of trust and flexibility. 

For existing customers, we will continue to store their Azure AD data in its current location. In the future, we'll be announcing our strategy to migrate that Azure AD data into Japan. Azure AD data storage in Japan is currently included without any additional charges.  

With this launch of a dedicated Japan region for Identity, Microsoft is reinforcing our commitment to satisfying the requirements of our growing customer base’s evolving privacy, resiliency, and region-specific data requirements. Microsoft already has more regions than any other cloud provider with 60+ announced datacenter regions, with Azure available in over 140 countries. Azure has the most comprehensive compliance coverage of any cloud service provider with more than 100 compliance offerings. 

With this update, we look forward to helping customers in Japan further accelerate their digital transformation. Our continued focus on our trusted cloud principles and leadership in compliance provides all our customers across the globe with the necessary security foundation to achieve compliance for their own applications. 

Learn more about Microsoft identity: 

• Related Article: Customer data storage for Japan customers - Azure AD | Microsoft Docs  
• Related Article: Microsoft 365 data locations - Microsoft 365 Enterprise | Microsoft Docs 
• Related Link:  Azure AD data map  
• Get to know Microsoft Entra – a comprehensive identity and access product family 
• Return to the Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) blog home  
• Join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn 
• Share product suggestions on the Entra (Azure AD) forum