Ransomware Cases in Japan Hit Record High in Jan.-June

Tokyo, Sept. 10 (Jiji Press)--A total of 123 cases of ransomware attacks were confirmed in Japan in January-June, hitting the highest level on a half-year basis since the start of existing data in 2020, National Police Agency data on cyberthreats showed Thursday.

Damage related to ransomware attacks, in which perpetrators encrypt data and demand a ransom in exchange for decryption, is expanding as methods of the cybercrime are becoming more sophisticated, according to the NPA.

The figure for the first half of 2026 was up by seven from a year before. Of the total, 31 cases occurred at major companies.

Restoration took more than a month in over half of the total cases while nine cases led to entire business suspensions. The amount of damage topped 10 million yen in 60 pct of the total.

In January-June, the NPA detected about 13,700 cases of suspicious access per day, up about 50 pct from a year before. They apparently included attempts by those behind ransomware and other attacks to confirm the level of vulnerability in the computer systems of their potential targets.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]