Tokyo, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has held the first meeting across its ministries and agencies in response to a recent series of cyberattacks on private-sector companies that resulted in large-scale leaks of personal information. At the meeting Thursday, cybersecurity minister Toshiharu Furukawa said the government will soon urge companies to promptly address system vulnerabilities and introduce multifactor authentication systems. The meeting was attended by all ministries and agencies, such as the Cabinet Secretariat, the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the Financial Services Agency. Furukawa instructed participants to report any data leaks to the government’s National Cybersecurity Office to facilitate centralized information management. Cyberattacks targeting private-sector firms started to increase in August while the perpetrators remain unknown, the NCO said, stressing the need to take countermeasures based on the assumption that attackers are using artificial intelligence. “This is a very critical situation,” Furukawa said, adding, “Government organizations must work as one to tackle the issue.” “We plan to remind (companies) of the importance of taking basic security measures” in light of the recent string of data leaks, an NCO official told reporters. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
