Tokyo, Oct. 29 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government has requested that telecommunications carriers forcibly deny access to a website believed to be behind a cyberattack on GMO Internet Inc., people familiar with the matter said Thursday. The request was made by the communications ministry through an industry association. The firms that received the request have not disclosed whether they have blocked access to the website. Blocking access to specific websites could infringe on the confidentiality of communications guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution, as the measure involves tracking the online destinations of all users. A panel of experts advising the ministry said in July that it is necessary to see whether other measures that do not restrict rights so strictly have been sufficiently taken before introducing blocking. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, when asked about the request for blocking at a news conference on Thursday, said that the government is in touch with telecommunications carriers but did not go into detail. The attacker who gained unauthorized access to GMO Internet posted personal information of a person on a website on Tuesday. A U.S. provider made the website inaccessible on Wednesday, an action that is different from blocking, people familiar with the matter said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
