Japan Orders Emergency Cybersecurity Package After Major Data Breaches

Japan's government is preparing an emergency cybersecurity response after a series of attacks on domestic companies exposed personal information and raised concerns about follow-on fraud.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi chaired a ministerial meeting in Tokyo on October 26 and instructed officials to assemble a package of urgent countermeasures by the end of the following week, according to Japanese news reports and the prime minister's published account of the meeting.

The government said the response should improve assistance to affected companies, strengthen the collection and analysis of incident information and provide clearer warnings to businesses and the public. Takaichi also asked officials to consider financial measures needed to implement the package.

The National Cybersecurity Office is expected to coordinate information from ministries and affected industries. Officials were told to develop mechanisms that allow private-sector specialists to assist organisations from the initial response through recovery. Support for smaller businesses is also under consideration.

Japanese media reported that the meeting followed repeated unauthorised access incidents and data leaks. Those developments have intensified concerns that stolen information could be used in additional fraud or attacks.

Takaichi also directed the government to consider available legal responses to identified cyberattacks and to work with international partners where appropriate. The meeting did not establish that any particular foreign government was responsible for the incidents.

The proposed emergency package is not yet a finalised policy or an enacted law. Details of its funding, operational responsibilities and any additional powers remain to be determined. The immediate development is the government's instruction to produce a coordinated response on a stated timetable.