Tokyo police and over 100 technology firms commenced a drill Monday to counter ransomware cyberattacks ahead of the Group of Seven summit, set to be held in May in the western Japan city of Hiroshima.
With the drill, which includes companies that possess technology related to infrastructure, the Metropolitan Police Department aims to strengthen ties and increase vigilance against computer virus attacks.
The exercise is based on the scenario that hackers have infected a company's computer system and encrypted data, threatening to expose it unless a ransom is paid.
In the initial part of the exercise that was open to the press, participants checked suspicious emails, examined files planted in the company's network and confirmed procedures to share information with the police.
"The information assets of businesses are treasures that support society as a whole. We need to be vigilant against attacks targeting the summit," said Izumi Masaki, head of the Metropolitan Police Department's cyberattack response center.
The exercise, lasting until Feb. 9, involves around 550 people from about 130 companies.
The G7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union.
The Hiroshima Prefectural Police also conducted training Monday to protect G7 dignitaries, with about half of the around 200 prefectural police "summit bodyguards" participating in the exercise in the host city.
The exercise simulated shots being fired as a VIP gets out of a vehicle, with security personnel tasked with apprehending the gunman and helping the dignitary to escape. The police also trained to prevent knife attacks.
The summit is expected to have a large security presence, following an overhaul by the National Police Agency of its protection of dignitaries after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot in July last year during a stump speech in the western city of Nara.
