Japan unveils emergency cybersecurity package after wave of data breaches

Centre · 2Japan's government on Friday 6 November compiled a package of emergency measures to address a spate of recent personal data breaches caused by unauthorised access, amid growing public concern about cybersecurity. 1 2 Centre · 2The package was announced at a meeting of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and relevant ministers; Takaichi had instructed officials the previous week to draw it up after high-profile leaks, including a cyberattack on internet service provider GMO Internet Group in which a ransom was demanded. 1 2 Centre · 1The package has four pillars: strengthening basic security through AI, improving information gathering and analysis, adopting a strategic approach to responding to attacks, and enhancing support for victims and prevention of further damage. 1

Centre · 2The government will set up a "top gun" team of cybersecurity specialists to counter hackers and will use AI to detect weaknesses in computer systems, working with overseas IT firms and advanced AI developers to keep information on vulnerabilities up to date. 1 2 Centre · 2A "rescue team" of public- and private-sector experts will be dispatched to businesses hit by attacks to help with initial responses, and a separate team will advise companies at risk before they are targeted. 1 2 Centre · 2The government also intends to expand "active cyber defence", proactively accessing servers used by attackers to neutralise threats, which became possible under a law that took effect in October. 1 2

Centre · 1For incidents that could seriously affect national security, a support team of officials from the National Cybersecurity Office, the National Police Agency and the Defence Ministry, among others, will be dispatched. 1 Centre · 2Ahead of the announcement, the government decided to draw 10 billion yen (US$63 million) from its fiscal 2026 budget reserve funds for cybersecurity, including upgrading police equipment for intelligence gathering and analysis. 1 2 Centre · 2CNA and Gulf News, both running AFP copy, say dozens of businesses have reported unauthorised access to their systems and possible leaks of client data in recent weeks, and that the 10 billion yen is only an initial sum: the overall cost is likely to be higher, with Takaichi asking her finance minister to find funds for the whole plan. 3 4

Centre · 2Takaichi told ministers the package was needed "to keep up with the speed of cyberattacks in the AI era" and urged the government to "mobilise the full capabilities of the government"; she did not mention the cyber rescue team, which Yomiuri Shimbun, Jiji Press and other media said would be coordinated by a secretariat set up within the current fiscal year. 3 4 Centre · 1Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, described as the top government spokesman, said on Thursday the measures were "the first step towards transitioning to a society that meets the world's top standards of cyber resilience" and would prevent damage as far as possible while allowing an immediate response if it occurs; Japan aims to build a society with one of "the world's highest levels" of cybersecurity. 1 Centre · 2AFP-based reports add that a Chinese AI cybersecurity tool, Artex, was used in several recent hacks of Japanese companies, according to an information security arm of GMO Internet Group, which was itself among those attacked; Anadolu describes the GMO incident as a ransomware attack. 3 2