I've been living in Japan since 1983, and my impression is that companies and government agencies became more careful about customers' and citizens' privacy about 15 years ago, after a privacy-protection law took effect [1; see also 2]. Since then, when I have done something like buy a new cellphone or pay taxes, the company or agency has had to go through an extra step or two to demonstrate to me that they would use my personal information only for the stated purpose. Television and newspapers started obscuring faces, license plates, etc. in photographs more often as well [examples at 3 and 4]. I teach at a public university, and we're now supposed to encrypt all information we have about students' grades, e-mail addresses, etc.
I don't know how effective these laws and rules are in general, but they probably do make it harder to find someone who wants to disappear. The brother of someone I know did just that a few years ago. He went through some kind of midlife crisis and left his wife, children, and family business without a word. She tried to trace him through the police, but the police wouldn't cooperate because there was no sign of foul play. He was spotted by a relative a year or so later living in an apartment not too far away and has since moved back with his family.
[0] https://www.generalunion.org/laws-and-rights/1490-a-guide-to...
[1] http://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/law/detail_main?id=1...
[2] https://www.ppc.go.jp/en/index.html
[3] https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/b4383067ba5e14089768a47f38...