Google asked to hide man's criminal past

A Japanese court has told Internet giant Google to hide a man's criminal past from its search results, saying he has "the right to be forgotten" so he can rebuild his life, according to reports.

The ruling parallels a move by the European Court of Justice, which said in 2014 that individuals have the right to ask Google to delete personal data produced by its search engine.

Local media said it was Japan's first court decision that recognized "the right to be forgotten" in connection with Internet search results, though successful bids to remove results have previously been made citing a right to privacy.