Japanese firms hit by AI-exploiting cyberattacks as Tokyo orders security overhaul

A series of cyberattacks and data breaches targeting Japanese companies has prompted the government to call for stronger security investment and improved response systems. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has also called for expanded public-private cooperation to counter large-scale automated attacks that exploit AI.

According to Kyodo News, the Japanese government recently urged companies to strengthen their defenses against IT system vulnerabilities, warning that unauthorized access and resulting data leaks could lead to business disruptions, Yonhap reported.

The government also asked companies to immediately share relevant information with the National Cyber Office or specialized cybersecurity agencies when incidents occur.

The LDP convened a meeting of its National Cybersecurity Strategy Headquarters on Friday and called on the government to bolster public-private response efforts. Taira Masaaki, the party's head of AI policy, said recent data breaches bore the hallmarks of "saturation attacks" — large-scale automated assaults that exploit AI.

He said authorities should explore ways to automatically detect anomalies after a system is compromised but before sensitive data is exfiltrated, in order to limit the damage.

Among the recent incidents, car-sharing company Times Car suffered a cyberattack that exposed the personal information of about 6.6 million users. Major firms in the financial and retail sectors, including Daiwa Securities and FamilyMart, also reported data breaches.

Japanese security authorities are investigating the perpetrators behind the large-scale unauthorized access and the methods used in the attacks.