The recent surge in cyberattacks against Japanese companies has peeled back the facade of invulnerability that many believed the nation’s corporate world enjoyed. From Asahi Group Holdings forced to halt its distribution systems to retailers losing access to their e-commerce platforms, the wave of ransomware assaults is not just a crisis — it’s a clarion call demanding urgent attention.
Imagine having your entire sales operation ripped offline, your supply chains snarled, and the very ability to do business put on hold — all because a malicious code locked your digital doors. This is precisely what happened recently in Japan, a country traditionally seen as a bastion of meticulous business practices and precision. The rise in attacks is no mere coincidence; it mirrors a complex cocktail of emerging risks and overlooked vulnerabilities.
Post-pandemic remote work has shaken up the way businesses operate, introducing new attack surfaces that cybercriminals are eager to exploit. Couple that with the increased use of cryptocurrency and AI technologies, and hackers find themselves equipped with sophisticated tools to communicate, demand ransoms, and elude capture. It’s a digital jungle where prey become predators overnight.
What’s startling is that the number of ransomware cases in Japan now matches a record high seen just a few years ago. According to Tokyo Metropolitan Police, there were 116 reported attacks in the first half of 2025 alone. The trend underscores an uncomfortable truth: Japan is an increasingly lucrative target. The stealth, precision, and scale of these attacks mean they are no longer isolated incidents but part of a growing systemic threat.
Take the example of Askul’s outage, which impacted Muji and Sogo & Seibu. These household names faced a sudden inability to engage customers online, a crippling blow in today’s digitally driven marketplace. If retailers of this caliber can be brought down, what hope do smaller firms with weaker defenses have? Manufacturers, often reliant on intricate supply chains, face existential threats when their systems crack under cyber pressure.
It’s compelling to note that, historically, Japan’s slower digital adoption and language barriers inadvertently offered a degree of protection. I remember conversations with business leaders expressing confusion and helplessness over ransom payments, pointing to a lack of familiarity with cryptocurrency as a stumbling block for attackers. But as the Japanese corporate world steadily digitalizes and embraces crypto technology, this unintentional shield weakens rapidly.
Remember the Port of Nagoya’s operational halt back in 2023? A striking example of critical infrastructure exposed and exploited. Add to that the breach at Kadokawa, leaking personal data of hundreds of thousands, and the picture is clear: these incidents are not anomalies. They’re symptoms of systemic underinvestment and mismanagement of cybersecurity.
One of Japan’s most profound challenges lies within corporate culture itself. Companies tend to outsource almost all IT functions to system integrators, effectively abdicating responsibility and eroding internal expertise. With seldom any genuine integration of IT strategy at the board level and many Chief Information Officers serving as mere figureheads, the corporate defense line is dangerously undermanned.
Statistics paint a grim but instructive picture: only roughly 46% of Japanese enterprises have appointed a Chief Information Security Officer, far below the global average of around 70%. This gap is a glaring signal of how much ground businesses here need to cover to mature their cybersecurity posture.
When you juxtapose Japan’s situation against global trends, North America alone accounts for 64% of cybercrime victims — a staggering figure by any measure. The Asia-Pacific region, meanwhile, currently holds a smaller share at around 12%. However, this relative calm is misleading. The quiet before a storm perhaps, as the virus of cyber threats finally treads the Japanese archipelago’s digital shores.
I often equate this phenomenon to an infectious disease pattern. Japan hasn’t yet endured the brutal first wave, and when it hits, the consequences could be devastating. Damage isn’t just theoretical; it’s tangible, measurable, and escalating by the day. The time for complacency is unequivocally past.
What does this mean for companies here? The answer is straightforward yet urgent — cybersecurity cannot be an afterthought or a delegated chore. It demands holistic integration into business strategy, a fortification of internal expertise, and most importantly, a top-down commitment to resilience.
Every stakeholder, from the CEO to frontline IT staff, must recognize that digital defenses are as critical as physical security measures. It’s about anticipating adversaries who evolve at breakneck speed and adapting organizational dynamics to stay a step ahead.
The path forward involves embracing transparency, fortifying digital literacy, and investing in robust systems — not just for compliance, but as a fundamental business enabler. Learning from incidents like those hitting Asahi, Askul, and the Port of Nagoya offers a roadmap of pitfalls to avoid and lessons to embed.
Japanese companies have the ingenuity and discipline to turn this tide. They must, however, shed outdated mindsets and proactively build a culture where cybersecurity is woven into the very fabric of everyday operations. The clock is ticking, and every moment of hesitation exacts a steep price.
In the digital age, survival hinges on adaptation and foresight. and Japan’s corporate world is at a crossroads: act decisively now or face increasingly debilitating consequences down the road.
It’s more than a technological challenge; it’s a defining moment for Japan’s business resilience and future prosperity.