In 2018, Bankruptcy MAP even became a social issue when it published information on bankruptcies on the web and made bankruptcy lists available for querying within MAP on the web, all of which were closed in 2020.
However, the Bankrupt Map, which did not make its appearance in 2021, is back in June 2022 as the new Bankrupt Map, and it is once again a hot topic.
So what exactly are bankruptcy maps and bankruptcy map cases? What is bankruptcy in the first place? We would like to provide you with some information and notes about the Bankruptcy Map that you may be interested in, such as
What is the Bankruptcy Map?
The Bankruptcy Map is a website created to allow users to refer to and check the names and addresses of individuals and companies that have filed for bankruptcy on Google Maps.
The Bankruptcy Map displays pins just like Google Maps, and when you click on a pin, you can see:
- The date of the bankruptcy filing;
- The name of the individual who filed for bankruptcy;
- Address of the individual who filed for bankruptcy; and
- The information of the company that filed for bankruptcy.
The personal information of the bankrupt will be displayed on Google Maps.
The fact that this information was made into a database and published on the web in a form that can be searched and queried by anyone free of charge became a major topic of discussion and concern.
Bankruptcy information in the Official Gazette can be viewed in Google Map-style.
As explained earlier, the bankruptcy information on the Bankruptcy Map is a reprint of information from the Official Gazette.
The Official Gazette is like a newspaper published by the government, first published in 1883, and is published daily except for administrative holidays. It contains information on the enactment and revision of laws and government ordinances, as well as details of court cases such as bankruptcy and inheritance.
Some people subscribe to it every day like a general newspaper, and it is also possible to view the Internet version of the Official Gazette for free.
What will appear in the Official Gazette?
Since the Official Gazette publishes details of court cases such as bankruptcy and inheritance, etc., personal information will appear in the Official Gazette if a debtor files a petition with the court for bankruptcy, individual rehabilitation, etc., and is approved.
- Debtor’s address and name
- Date of the decision
- Gist of the reason for the debt settlement
- Name of the court
It is important to understand that in the case of debt consolidation such as bankruptcy and individual rehabilitation, the information will appear in the Official Gazette not once, but multiple times per debt consolidation.
However, even if you are listed more than once for reasons discussed below, rest assured that it is very unlikely that your debt arrangement will be revealed to others or your company or that you will become a celebrity as a result of being listed in the Official Gazette.
Reasons why the Official Gazette publishes information on bankruptcy
There are two reasons why the Official Gazette publishes information about bankruptcy.
- The Bankruptcy Law requires publication in the Official Gazette.
- To inform creditors and lenders
It is impossible to hide the bankrupt’s information from the public because it is required by law, as stipulated in Article 10 of the Bankruptcy Law.
The reason for such a rule is that the law is there to protect the rights of creditors.
As a creditor, you may not be able to receive repayment if you go bankrupt or rehabilitate yourself without knowing it.
However, if they know in advance that the debt will be reorganized, they can participate in the process and negotiate repayment.
Of course, when a debtor arranges a debt restructuring, the debtor’s debts are investigated, but it is undeniable that there may be creditors who are forgotten.
Because of these circumstances, all creditors are informed that the debtor has started a debt restructuring and their names and addresses are placed in the official gazette so that they can participate in the procedure.
What was the bankruptcy map created for?
The operator claims that it did not intend to discriminate against or undermine the bankrupt and that it created and published the Bankrupt Map with the following motives.
In this country, it takes a long time and, is never easy for citizens and researchers to access information held by the state and local governments, even if they use Freedom of Information requests. The Official Gazette is a copyrighted work of the national government that can be widely read by any citizen for free or at a low cost, with no restrictions on how it can be obtained or how long it can be viewed.
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I hope that the day will come in this country when the data held by the national and local governments will be consolidated and anonymized, and the public and researchers will be able to freely access, analyze, evaluate, and make better decisions on the data in real-time for everyone through the Internet.
Let me share my findings. The Official Gazette is public information and everyone is free to view it at libraries, universities, etc. Everyone is free to know the address and name of the bankrupt. The bankruptcy information in the Official Gazette is written as a “string”, but in this project, the string in the Official Gazette is replaced by a “set of dots” on a map.
We honestly did not expect such a large number of responses simply by changing the way bankruptcy information, which is freely accessible and publicly available to everyone, is represented. I think that if we change the way we represent the data that the state and local governments have and publish, we can get closer to the intrinsic value that the data has.
The operator’s intention in creating the Bankrupt Map was to “visualize public information held by the government so that it can be used in a way that brings it closer to the intrinsic value that the data has,” and “I want everyone to be able to access and utilize such data through the Internet.” It is believed that the operator created the bankruptcy map in order to “bring the data closer to its intrinsic value and make it available.
Then, why did the operator choose the Bankrupt List as “public data that is publicly available but underutilized”?
The reason is explained as follows.
I was surprised to hear from my friend in Japan that the bankruptcy map is in the news. And I am filled with sadness. In the city where I live, if I see someone in trouble, I help them. I see people in need, and I help them. I’m hungry.
I give money, go to McDonald’s with them, or give them bananas. This map will help you quickly see who is in need in your neighborhood and who needs your help. You can help those in need, and those in need can become friends and help each other.
I feel that this map is used in a different way, not to help those in need in your neighborhood, or to help each other by becoming friends among those in need. Sometimes people are good, sometimes they are bad.
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The operator was probably aware that bankruptcy or people in financial trouble and it disclosed bankruptcy information so that it could “reach out to people in need”. However, it seems that the operator, while residing overseas, did not have a good picture of the situation of bankrupt persons in Japan and how the publicly disclosed personal information would be used.
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