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July 04, 2025
 

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PERSONAL INFORMATION

Qantas Airlines Boeing 737 planes sit at the Sydney airport domestic terminal on Tuesday. Qantas said on Wednesday that 6 million customer accounts were accessed in a cyber hack.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 2, 2025
Australia's Qantas says 6 million customer accounts accessed in cyber hack
The breach, Australia's biggest in years, is a setback for an airline looking to rebuild trust after a reputational crisis.
Digital transformation minister Masaaki Taira obtains a certification document using a My Number personal identification card installed on an iPhone in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2025
Functions of Japan's My Number card now available on iPhones
The Digital Agency plans to gradually expand the smartphone-compatible functions of the card, including the ability to serve as a health insurance card.
Forged My Number cards and other ID cards seized by police are shown at a police station in Tokyo in December 2023.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 20, 2025
Japan to require IC chip ID verification for online bank accounts in 2027
The new rule is designed to prevent fraudulent accounts from being opened under stolen identities.
A pollster for the national census leaves a note at a house in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in September 2020 after no one answered the door.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 11, 2025
Japan faces staffing challenges for crucial census
The pollster workforce is aging, while increased public concerns over privacy have led more residents to refuse to participate.
Personal data leaks involving My Number personal identification numbers reported under the My Number law climbed to 2,052 cases from 334 in fiscal 2023, according to the Personal Information Protection Commission's report adopted by the Cabinet Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2025
Personal info leak cases hit record high in Japan in fiscal 2024
Personal data leaks involving My Number personal identification numbers reported under the My Number law climbed to 2,052 cases from 334 in fiscal 2023.
IPhone users will soon be able to access the Mynaportal website for My Number-related administrative tasks and get copies of their public certificates at convenience stores.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2025
My Number Card functions to be available on iPhones
IPhone users will soon be able to access the Mynaportal website for My Number-related administrative tasks and get copies of their public certificates at convenience stores.
Under the "digital address" system launched by Japan Post, users can input seven-digit combinations of numbers and letters on online shopping and other websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2025
Japan Post launches 'digital address' system
Under the system, users can input seven-digit codes on online shopping websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.
Tokyo police have arrested a postal worker on suspicion of making a threatening call to a woman using personal information found on her mail.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 22, 2025
Postal worker accused of making threatening call to woman using delivery info
Suspect Yoichi Nose allegedly called the woman using a phone number found on her mail and threatened her by referencing voyeuristic videos he claimed to have had of her.
Meta’s rapid AI chatbot rollout is raising safety concerns as critics cite inappropriate responses and poor accountability despite its access to vast user data.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2025
Meta’s defense of its rogue AI sounds painfully familiar
The social media platform Meta is going on the attack instead of worrying about its users. How did that work out the last time?
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (right) and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy during Lammy's visit to Tokyo in March
JAPAN / Politics
May 11, 2025
Japan and U.K. to promote personal data transfers
Japanese universities and other research institutes will be able to use information about clinical trials and diseases held by their British counterparts.
Tapple, one of Japan's most popular dating apps, has launched the nation's first feature to verify a user's single status via their My Number card.
JAPAN
Apr 30, 2025
Single, or not? Japanese dating app launches relationship verification system
With Tapple boasting over 20 million users, worries about dishonest relationship statuses were common.
A green wireframe model covers an actor's lower face during the creation of a deepfake video in in London in 2019.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 17, 2025
They sold their likeness to AI companies — and regretted it
Scores have ended up with the unpleasant surprise of seeing themselves feature in deepfakes, dubious adverts or even political propaganda.
Vehicles wait in line to cross into the United States at the Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
Avoid U.S. travel or take burner devices, Canadian organizations tell staff
Employees have also been given advice on how to minimize information that can be accessed by border agents.
Elon Musk listens to U.S. President Donald Trump speak in the White House in Washington on Feb. 11.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 27, 2025
Member of Elon Musk's DOGE team provided tech service to cybercrime ring
Edward Coristine, 19, is among the most visible members of the DOGE effort that has been given sweeping access to U.S. government networks.
An illustration shows avatars that will be created at the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion of the Osaka Expo.
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2025
Errors found in Osaka Expo pavilion's privacy policy
The operator of the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion and a sponsor company are considering whether to correct a discrepancy relating to the handling of visitors' personal information.
The Japanese postal mark displayed on a Japan Post post box in Tokyo
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2025
Number of Japan Post clients affected by misuse of information rises to 10 million
"We deeply apologize for causing anxiety and worry," Japan Post Holdings Managing Executive Officer Miho Ichiki told a news conference.
The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington in 2024. The Justice Department unsealed charges against a dozen Chinese citizens accused of being part of a sophisticated hacking ring that steals data from American businesses and people to sell to the Chinese government and others.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2025
U.S. says China paid hackers to target critics and steal data
The Justice Department has charged 10 Chinese citizens and two government agents for hacks that targeted dissidents, news outlets and American government agencies, among others.
The government adopted a bill to help prevent cases of human rights abuses and other malicious activities related to the use of artificial intelligence but without hindering businesses' willingness to develop the technology.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2025
New bill lets government publicize names of firms who maliciously use AI
The bill doesn't include "excessive regulations" that could impede technological innovation, the science and technology policy minister said.
Under the law, information such as race, social status, medical history and any criminal record is designated as sensitive personal information, and obtaining such information requires prior consent from the individuals concerned.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 23, 2025
Japan may ease privacy rules to aid AI development
The move is intended to make it easier for AI-related businesses to utilize personal information.
Screens display web pages of the Chinese artificial intelligence chatbot DeepSeek. South Korean authorities said on Monday that DeepSeek would not be available on local app stores, pending a review of the Chinese AI startup's handling of user data.
WORLD
Feb 17, 2025
Chatbot vs. national security? Why DeepSeek is raising concerns
Governments from Rome to Seoul are cracking down on the chatbot, saying they need to prevent potential leaks of sensitive information.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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