Japanese Local Govts Asked to Bolster Cybersecurity

Tokyo, Aug. 4 (Jiji Press)--Japanese internal affairs minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday sent a letter asking local governments to bolster cybersecurity in response to a series of cyberattacks and the advancement of artificial intelligence.

The letter urged prefectural governors and municipal mayors to exercise strong leadership to take steps aimed at ensuring the safety of information systems and devices used by local governments.

It also asked local governments to secure budgets and personnel by utilizing support from the central government.

In July, a cyberattack against food maker Nichirei Corp. caused a system failure, disrupting client supply chains. In a case targeting Askul Corp., a supplier of office and household goods, last year, personal information was compromised.

Concerns have been raised about the dangers Claude Mythos, Anthropic's cutting-edge AI model, could pose if misused.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]