Japan has adopted an emergency cybersecurity package and approved about 10 billion yen ($63 million) in spending from its fiscal 2026 reserves after a wave of cyberattacks and data breaches affecting companies and government agencies. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced the package at a ministerial meeting on November 6, saying the government needed to strengthen its response to attacks and data leaks. The Associated Press reported that the plan is intended to improve cooperation between public and private organizations, speed assistance to victims and strengthen recovery capabilities.
About 2 billion yen will fund AI-assisted checks for vulnerabilities in government systems. Another 4.1 billion yen is allocated for equipment and training to support police investigations into cyberattacks, while 3.8 billion yen will strengthen the Digital Agency’s system security, according to Jiji Press reporting published by Nippon.com.
The package also calls for faster discussions on blocking access to websites that display stolen personal information and the creation of a public-private cyber rescue team to help organizations with their initial response to attacks. A separate team is expected to support companies that need to strengthen their defenses. Jiji Press reported that the package was approved at the November 6 meeting of related ministers.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is expected to establish a specialist “top gun” team by the end of November. The team will use AI to counter hackers and identify weaknesses in network systems, working with technology companies and AI developers in friendly countries. For threats to national security, the government plans to deploy a separate support team involving officials from the Defense Ministry, National Police Agency and National Cybersecurity Office. The package also calls for stronger use of active cyber defense powers, which were legalized in October, to access servers used by attackers as a preventive measure, the AP reported.
The package follows a series of major disclosures in Japan, including NTT Docomo’s disclosure that customer data tied to as many as 294,839 mobile lines was exposed, with some records containing identity-document numbers and bank account details.
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