Japan declared a national cybersecurity emergency following attacks on over 20 major enterprises, resulting in the loss of tens of millions of customer records.
Data highlights include JR East losing 1.67 million email addresses, while industry analysis points to automated tools accelerating threat campaigns across infrastructure.
More than 20 well-known companies have been hit, including convenience store chain Lawson and car rental company Times Car. The attacks resulted in the loss of tens of millions of customers' personal data. For example, 1,67 million email addresses were leaked from the reservation system of the country's largest railway company, JR East.
How artificial intelligence facilitates attacks
Top officials in the country have described the situation as extremely critical and urgent. Cybersecurity experts believe that new artificial intelligence tools may be helping the perpetrators. According to analysts, this technology allows unknown people to carry out attacks on smaller services that previously would not have been worth the effort, while it also seems to help overcome language barriers.
The new identification measures
Following the breach of driving licence data resulting from the Times Car attack, regulators are calling for stricter identification measures. In particular, the Financial Services Authority has reportedly asked banks to only accept documents that have special digital chips, such as passports or MyNumber national ID cards.
The problem, however, has already left its mark on the real economy. In October 2025, a similar attack on beverage company Asahi Group Holdings resulted in the shutdown of most of its factories in Japan.
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