The US National Security Agency (NSA) reported that Chinese military hackers attacked Japan’s defense security systems. The incident occurred in the fall of 2020, and the attackers managed to compromise even the most sensitive networks. China’s cyber soldiers gained deep and wide access and sought all classified data. Among their targets were plans, analyzes and documents indicating capabilities.
Tokyo responded by beefing up its security networks, but US officials say key systems remain vulnerable. Japan’s weak cyber defenses could also hamper US relations, as the Pentagon fears shared classified information could fall into the wrong hands.
This cyber attack is considered the most damaging in modern Japanese history.
The seriousness of the 2020 incident shows that the head of the US National Security Agency immediately traveled to Tokyo and the Prime Minister was informed through the Japanese Minister of Defense. At that time, Washington was busy with US affairs related to the presidential election, and many high-ranking officials reported that the Japanese seemed to be trying to cover up the incident. In early 2021, the situation in the US has stabilized and it has become apparent that Chinese hackers are still on Japanese systems.
Tokyo sensed the drama of the case, and have since announced that they will increase network security, increase the cyber defense budget tenfold, and quadruple the number of cybersecurity forces—to a total of 4,000 people. They plan to spend a total of $7 billion on cyber defense over five years. American agencies were also used to stabilize the systems, but according to them, there is still a lot of work to do.
Chinese attacks on Japan are not unique. Since 2021, there have been increasing reports of hackers attempting to penetrate the networks of various US defense agencies. Recently, it was reported that they were trying to obtain sensitive correspondence from US diplomats.
Japan has traditionally been considered a country with weak intelligence capabilities and countermeasures, and has even been called a “paradise for spies” many times.
But in recent decades, the political leadership in Tokyo has realized that it needs to strengthen its capabilities in order to protect the most important systems, but the latest case also shows that there is still much to be done in this area.
Cover image is illustrative. Cover photo credit: Brooks Kraft LLC / Corbis via Getty Images
