At a press conference held on 2 November, GMO Internet Group representative Kumagai Masatoshi (熊谷 正寿) demonstrated his commitment to accountability while shedding tears. At one point during the conference, he reprimanded an employee, and the question-and-answer session lasted approximately 3.5 hours.
Several senior executives, including representative Kumagai Masatoshi (熊谷 正寿), attended a press conference following the leak of customer information caused by unauthorized access to the group’s Onamae.com Desktop Cloud. This demonstrated the willingness of the head of the company to fulfill accountability personally before the media.
Crisis communications specialist Naganuma Fumihiro (長沼 史宏) said the conference was an occasion that called the very purpose of an apology press conference into question. At the same time, some praised the company for having its top executive personally provide an explanation and for holding an extended question-and-answer session.
Distinctive expressions such as “the hourglass of life” emerged during the conference. On social media, mocking reactions spread alongside criticism, but attention focused on management’s commitment to accountability.
Some have questioned, from the perspective of crisis communications, “what can be praised” about the event rather than whether the press conference itself was appropriate.