Last November, chilling news made headlines nationwide — the internal communications network of the Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces had been hacked in September, possibly by another nation.

According to Kyodo News, the Defense Information Infrastructure, the high-speed, high-capacity communications network linking SDF bases and camps, was compromised.

Following the report, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada declined to confirm whether the hacking took place but quickly denied that information had been stolen. An official knowledgeable with government cybersecurity matters, however, admitted there had been a breach.