Japan launched an emergency policy package on Friday to deal with a sudden wave of hacking incidents, after dozens of businesses reported unauthorised access to their systems and possible leaks of client data in recent weeks.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said ministers had come together to draw up the emergency countermeasures in light of increasingly serious cyberattacks.
The package will initially be funded with 10 billion yen (about US$63 million) from the government’s budget, though the overall cost is likely to be higher, and Takaichi asked her finance minister to find ways to free up funds for the full plan.
It includes security countermeasures that partly use artificial intelligence, stronger investigation systems, more support for victims and measures to stop damage from spreading.
Media reports said the package also includes a cyber rescue team of government and private sector experts, with a secretariat to be set up within the current fiscal year to deploy the team when needs are most urgent.
Hacks and data breaches have grown worldwide, with attention on how artificial intelligence can find new ways to break into computer systems.