A succession of reports has detailed incidents in which more than 50 million personal records were leaked from companies, with major companies including Lawson and Book Off continuing to announce breaches. Experts have also pointed to the growing scale of cyberattacks as AI advances, prompting calls that Japanese companies are lagging in their preparedness.
FNN Prime Online reported that more than 50 million records had been leaked through unauthorized access. New leaks came to light on the 9th, when it was announced that information from JR East's online reservation service, Eki-net, and members of the Adult Holiday Club may also have been leaked. Travel website Adventure disclosed the leakage of approximately 14.64 million records.
The reported figures included approximately 2.15 million member records, including Lawson ID records; up to 6.43 million records at Book Off; and the possible leakage of email addresses belonging to up to approximately 4.03 million Viewcard members. Daiichikosho indicated that more than 8.72 million customer records may have been leaked.
Experts said that advances in AI are enabling cyberattacks to overcome language barriers, with more cases in which attackers use AI to expand the scale of their operations. Against a backdrop of increasingly urgent and extensive damage, a former National Police Agency official said Japanese companies were slow to prepare for incidents after they occurred, suggesting the need for measures to prevent further spread of the damage.
Based on comments from IT experts and former government officials, strengthening companies' information security systems and post-incident response is being viewed as an urgent priority. Companies are expected to strengthen monitoring to prevent leaks, establish notification systems and thoroughly implement measures to prevent recurrence.