Japan's messaging app Line has stopped its Chinese affiliates and contractors from accessing the personal information of Japanese users, the company said Tuesday, in response to growing scrutiny over its data management practices.

Line also said it would transfer some information stored in data centers in South Korea, such as such as images and videos posted by users in Japan and payment histories from its LinePay service, to Japan by September.

Japanese media reported last week that four employees of Line's Chinese affiliate had access to information about users in Japan, including names, IDs and phone numbers. Line used Chinese affiliates and contractors to develop services.