Figma brings data residency to Japan, expanding local hosting across Asia

Figma has rolled out data residency capabilities in Japan, enabling enterprise customers to maintain their design files within the country's borders. The feature applies to Figma Design, FigJam, Figma Slides, and Figma Make, addressing requests from organizations operating under strict data governance rules.

The move underscores Figma's deepening commitment to the Japanese market. As of June 30, 2026, two-thirds of Nikkei 225 companies rely on Figma, positioning Japan among the platform's top five markets globally by active user count. "We've heard from many customers in Japan that they want the ability to store and manage their data domestically," said Hiro Kawanobe, country manager of Figma Japan. "The launch of data residency responds directly to that need and reflects Figma's long-term commitment to the Japanese market."

Organizations in sectors with heightened compliance obligations—including public administration, healthcare, and financial services—stand to benefit most from the new capability. Data residency allows these entities to maintain stricter control over file storage locations while retaining access to Figma's collaboration, performance, and scalability features. This expansion follows similar launches in Australia, Brazil, India, Europe, and the United States.

Customer perspectives

Digital Garage, a major Japanese payments platform, sees the local hosting option as essential to its operations. "Figma is embedded throughout our entire product development process, and we welcome the availability of data residency in Japan, which enables us to rely on Figma while better addressing these requirements," said Tomosue Den, corporate officer and CTO, head of technology division at Digital Garage. "Looking ahead, we are confident that this more secure environment will open new possibilities in product development that will support the evolution and future growth of our payment and financial platform."

Adways Group, which operates multiple business lines across Japan and internationally, integrates Figma throughout its product development workflow. The company uses the platform across design exploration, requirements documentation via FigJam, and handoff processes. "Figma serves as a shared workspace not only for designers, but also for engineers and business teams. We use it throughout the entire development process: from organizing requirements in FigJam and exploring design concepts in Figma Design to handing designs off for implementation," said Goshu Endo, deputy head of the technology division at Adways. "The ability to discuss ideas while viewing the actual UI improves the quality and speed of our decision-making. The availability of data residency in Japan will be a major enabler as we expand into areas with specific data governance requirements."

The Institute of Science Tokyo, a public research institution, views the shift to local data storage as a significant upgrade. "Figma and FigJam have become indispensable infrastructure for our day-to-day web operations and communications," said Yui Morita, specialist staff member on general affairs and planning. "Enhanced governance and security through data localization will enable more reliable and seamless communication across the university."

Integration with enterprise security features

The data residency option complements Figma's existing enterprise security toolkit, particularly Governance+. This add-on to the Enterprise plan consolidates access controls and data protection mechanisms tailored to organizational security policies. Companies operating in regulated sectors can pair data residency with Governance+ to establish comprehensive safeguards spanning both data location and access management.