【Series of Cyberattacks】Massive Data Breaches at Lawson and BOOKOFF, with Logistics Disruptions Also Raising Fears of Frozen Food Shortages (Yomiuri TV)

Announcements of data breaches have continued across Japan. Names, addresses, email addresses and other information registered with Lawson ID are reported to have been leaked, while a PC used by an employee of a subcontractor of Daiichikosho was infected with malware. Concerns have been raised about the impact on approximately 8.72 million people, including the leakage of Big Echo member information. BookOff announced the potential leakage of up to approximately 6.43 million sets of member data. These incidents show that unauthorised-access-related data breaches are occurring one after another.

The impact has also extended to food and logistics. Information indicates that shipments and receipts for the Nissin Group, including Nissui Logistics, have been affected. Supermarkets in Osaka and elsewhere may face shortages of frozen foods if the cyberattacks continue for an extended period.

The cause is said to be a cyberattack on IDC Frontier, a SoftBank subsidiary, which affected 495 companies and local governments. At Osaka Metropolitan University, where the resumption of classes was announced, classes reportedly resumed after a one-week suspension following the construction of an emergency system after an attack believed to have involved ransomware.

Experts on cyber countermeasures said that more than 1.5 billion attacks have been observed since October 2025, and suggested that attacks may have intensified in February this year, coinciding with the House of Representatives election. There is no clear evidence of an AI connection, but some believe that the use of AI is contributing to increases in the speed and volume of attacks.