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Figma: Local Data Hosting in Japan

FigmaView original changelog

Figma launched data residency in Japan, letting Enterprise-plan customers store Figma Design, FigJam, Figma Slides, and Figma Make files locally within the country. The feature targets regulated industries such as public sector, healthcare, and financial services, and can be paired with Figma's Governance+ add-on for stronger access and data controls. The launch extends Figma's existing data-residency footprint, which already covers Australia, Brazil, India, Europe, and the US.

Key Takeaways

  • Figma added Japan to its list of data residency regions, joining Australia, Brazil, India, Europe, and the US.
  • The feature is scoped to Enterprise-plan customers only and covers Figma Design, FigJam, Figma Slides, and Figma Make files.
  • It can be combined with Governance+, Figma's Enterprise security and access-control add-on, for a more complete compliance package.
  • Figma cited its own scale in Japan as motivation, noting that two-thirds of Nikkei 225 companies use the product and that Japan is a top-five market by active users.
  • The launch targets regulated industries specifically, including public sector, healthcare, and financial services organizations that often face strict data localization rules.
  • Early customer quotes came from Digital Garage, Adways Group, and the Institute of Science Tokyo, all describing the update as removing a governance barrier to broader Figma adoption.

Data Residency Arrives in Japan

Figma expanded its data residency program to include Japan, giving Enterprise-plan customers the option to store their Figma files within the country rather than in Figma's default hosting regions. The capability covers Figma Design, FigJam, Figma Slides, and Figma Make, meaning organizations can keep design files, whiteboard sessions, presentations, and AI-generated builds all localized under the same policy.

The move follows the same rollout pattern Figma has used for prior regions: Australia, Brazil, India, Europe, and the US already have local data hosting available, and Japan now joins that list. According to Figma's country manager for Japan, Hiro Kawanobe, customers in the country had repeatedly asked for the ability to store and manage their data domestically, citing local governance and regulatory expectations that are becoming more common across design and product development teams.

Why Japan, and Why Now

Figma highlighted Japan's importance as a market to justify the timing: as of June 30, 2026, roughly two-thirds of Nikkei 225 companies use Figma, and Japan ranks among Figma's top five markets globally by active users. For a market of that size, data residency removes a common blocker for large enterprises and public institutions that are otherwise unable to adopt cloud design tools whose data lives outside the country.

Built for Regulated Industries

Organizations in regulated sectors, including public sector agencies, healthcare providers, and financial services firms, are the primary intended beneficiaries. Figma positioned local hosting in Japan as something that can be combined with Governance+, the company's Enterprise add-on for access management and security controls, so that a customer gets both control over where data physically lives and finer-grained control over who can access it.

Early customers quoted in the announcement include Digital Garage, which said Figma is embedded throughout its product development process and welcomed the availability of local hosting; Adways Group, which called it a "major enabler" as the company expands into areas with specific data governance requirements; and the Institute of Science Tokyo, which said the enhanced governance and security through data localization would support more reliable communication across the university.

What This Means for Teams

For most individual designers and smaller teams, this update changes nothing day to day. Its relevance is concentrated among Enterprise-plan customers in Japan, or multinational organizations with a Japan-based subsidiary that needs to meet local data handling requirements. For those organizations, it removes a compliance obstacle that may have previously ruled out or delayed a move to Figma, and it signals continued investment by Figma in enterprise trust and international expansion rather than purely user-facing feature work.