In Autumn 2020, a security breach was discovered in US NB, revealing that Chinese hackers had infiltrated Japan’s classified defense networks. The attackers had continuous access and were specifically targeting valuable information such as defense plans, opportunities, and assessments of Japan’s defense system. This breach marked one of the most devastating cyber attacks in Japan’s recent history.
Military cybershpians from the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA) successfully penetrated Japan’s most sensitive computer systems, causing significant concerns. In response to these Chinese cyber attacks, Japan has taken measures to strengthen its cyber protection. The country has allocated 10 times more budget for cybersecurity over the next five years and increased the number of military cybersins by four times, reaching a total of 4,000 personnel. However, despite these efforts, the current network security is still considered insufficient against potential interventions from Beijing. This inadequate protection could hinder the exchange of intelligence between the Pentagon and the Ministry of Defense of Japan.
Prior to this incident, the Pentagon had already expressed concerns about potential espionage from China through Chinese-made port cranes located in ports across the United States.
In late June, cybersecurity experts from Rapid7 revealed that Japan is a frequent target of cyber attacks from multiple threat actors with various motives, including espionage and financial gain. The researchers identified that China, North Korea, and Vietnam are the top three countries responsible for state-sponsored threats against Japan.