Tokyo, Oct. 30 (Jiji Press)–Personal information on about 260 million people in total has been compromised in Japan since April because of cyberattacks, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday. “The number of large-scale leaks is increasing rapidly, and the government is taking the situation very seriously,” Kihara said at a press conference, adding that it will compile a package of emergency countermeasures quickly. The figures were based on information leakage cases reported to the government’s Personal Information Protection Commission by businesses handling personal information, excluding financial and telecommunications firms, from April 1 to Oct. 16. The number of reported cases was less than 200 until June, but it gradually increased to 212 in July, 235 in August and 303 in September, and surged to 830 in October. In October, there were 22 reports of leaks affecting one million people or more. Cybersecurity minister Toshiharu Furukawa told a separate press conference that the National Cybersecurity Office has established a webpage focusing on responses to cyberattacks. “The government will work as one to respond appropriately to the concerns of the public and businesses,” Furukawa said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
