Cyberattacks hit Japanese firms exposing millions of records

By the Editorial Team · Monday, October 26, 2026

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will create a specialized cybersecurity unit of ethical hackers next month to address rising data breaches targeting Japanese companies. This move follows recent attacks, including one on Arcadia Inc. that exposed millions of email addresses, highlighting urgent vulnerabilities in the nation's digital infrastructure.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced plans on Friday to establish a specialized cybersecurity team aimed at addressing a recent surge in unauthorized data breaches targeting Japanese companies. The new unit, composed of ethical hackers, will be formed within the Innovation Platform Agency next month to identify and remedy system vulnerabilities.

Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa detailed the government's response during a press briefing, citing inherent weaknesses in the nation’s cybersecurity defenses, partly linked to flaws found in the widely used PHP programming language. As a precaution, some ministry websites and corporate services have been partially suspended to prevent further exploitation.

“The team will focus on discovering security loopholes in current systems to enhance the overall protection of industrial infrastructure,” Akazawa said. The ministry has also intensified cybersecurity awareness efforts, engaging about 1,000 industry groups and associations since the vulnerabilities were detected.

On the same day, Osaka-based Arcadia Inc., a disaster information service provider, disclosed it had been the victim of a cyberattack that resulted in the dissemination of approximately 1.42 million suspicious emails from its systems. The company suspended operations on October 13 after detecting the breach but resumed server functions two days later.

Arcadia President Seiichi Tenpaku expressed regret over the incident’s impact on the company’s reputation and social responsibility. While up to 3.13 million email addresses may have been compromised, the full extent of the data leak remains under investigation. The firm provides disaster information services on behalf of local governments, and the breach raises concerns about the potential exposure of sensitive data.

These incidents underscore growing cybersecurity challenges facing Japanese firms amid increasing reliance on digital infrastructure. The government’s initiative to deploy ethical hackers reflects a broader strategy to strengthen defenses and mitigate risks from cyber threats targeting key industries.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.