Japan's Takaichi unveils emergency cyber package after attacks

Japan's prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, announced an emergency cybersecurity package on Friday, with an initial 10 billion yen (about $63m) from the government budget to answer a wave of hacking incidents at Japanese companies.

Takaichi told ministers at a meeting in Tokyo that the measures include security countermeasures built partly on artificial intelligence, stronger investigation systems, more support for victims and steps to stop damage spreading. She said the full cost would probably be higher and asked her finance minister to work out how to free up the rest, CNA reported.

Dozens of businesses have reported unauthorised access to their systems and possible leaks of client data in recent weeks. "Even at this very moment, incidents of unauthorised access and information leaks are occurring one after another, having a major impact on the lives of our citizens and on corporate activities," Takaichi said.

She described the package as the joint work of the ministers in the room. "In light of the current situation involving increasingly serious cyberattacks, all ministers present today have put their heads together to formulate an 'emergency countermeasures package,'" she said. The government, she added, had to "mobilise the full capabilities" of the state to "keep up with the speed of cyberattacks in the AI era."

Japanese outlets reported that the package creates a "cyber rescue team" drawing on government and private-sector specialists, with a secretariat set up within the current fiscal year to deploy it where support is most needed, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun, Jiji Press and other media cited by CNA. Takaichi did not mention the team in her remarks.

The South China Morning Post reported that the package promotes the use of AI to identify vulnerabilities in computer systems and provides for several teams of highly skilled experts, and tied the measures to public concern about personal data breaches.

Last month an information security arm of the Japanese internet firm GMO Internet Group said the Chinese AI cybersecurity tool Artex had been used in several recent hacks of Japanese companies. GMO Internet Group was among the businesses attacked.

The government has not published a total cost for the plan.