In brief
The Personal Information Protection Commission reports that from April to mid‑October 2026, 2,094 unauthorized data breaches affected about 260 million individuals, twice Japan’s population. Major firms, universities, and airlines were hit, with some leaks involving over 10 million people each. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government will enact emergency measures quickly.
Japan’s Personal Information Protection Commission released figures showing that personal data of around 260 million people were compromised from the start of the current fiscal year until mid‑October, according to Xinhua on October 31.
The 2,094 incidents reported between April 1 and October 16 involved businesses that handle personal information, but not financial or telecommunications firms, meaning the true scale could be larger.
Six of those incidents leaked data on more than 10 million people each, and the monthly number of breaches spiked in October, with 830 reported in the first half of the month versus 303 for all of September.
In the first half of fiscal 2025, the commission logged 1,256 incidents for the entire year, according to Kyodo News.
High‑profile victims included Sony Life Insurance Co., discount retailer Don Quijote, video game publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., Kyushu University and its hospital, Ryohin Keikaku Co. (Muji), Matsuya Foods Holdings Co., and All Nippon Airways Co.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said the government is taking the situation very seriously. He added, “The number of large‑scale leaks is increasing rapidly, and the government is taking the situation very seriously.”
He also announced that the government will quickly compile a package of emergency countermeasures to address the surge in data breaches.
