In brief
The Personal Information Protection Commission has tallied about 260 million people whose personal information was compromised in over 2,000 unauthorized‑access incidents from April to mid‑October. The breaches, including several large‑scale leaks involving major firms and universities, have spiked in October, prompting the government to pledge emergency countermeasures. On Friday, new leaks were reported from several high‑profile companies, and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara warned of the rapid increase in data breaches.
Tokyo – Japan reports that the personal information of roughly 260 million people has been compromised between the start of the current fiscal year in April and mid‑October, the Xinhua news agency said on Monday, citing data released by the Personal Information Protection Commission.
The findings – based on breaches reported by businesses handling personal information, excluding financial and telecommunications firms – recorded 2,094 incidents of unauthorized access. Six of those incidents each involved more than 10 million people, the agency noted.
According to Xinhua, the number of breaches has surged, with 830 incidents reported in the first half of October alone compared with 303 for the entire month of September. In fiscal 2025, 1,256 incidents were logged for the year, Kyodo News said.
On Wednesday, several companies and institutions, including Sony Life Insurance Co., discount retailer Don Quijote, video game publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., and Kyushu University and its affiliated hospital, said personal data might have been compromised following unauthorized access to their websites or other systems.
Friday saw reports from more firms, such as Muji brand operator Ryohin Keikaku Co., restaurant chain operator Matsuya Foods Holdings Co., and All Nippon Airways Co., that possible leaks could have happened.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a press conference Friday the number of large‑scale leaks is increasing rapidly and that the government was taking the situation very seriously.
“The number of large‑scale leaks is increasing rapidly, and the government is taking the situation very seriously.”
Kihara added that the government would compile an emergency countermeasure package quickly, according to the Xinhua report.
