On June 24, 2026, the UN's WP.29 forum adopted the first international standard covering Level 3 and Level 4 automated driving systems, with Japan serving as a co-chair. It takes effect around January 2027. Here is what the rules actually require, how much Japan really led, and why the US and China are not bound by them.
Konami has sued in California over the leaked Metal Gear Solid 2 source code that surfaced on 4chan. The real target: the anonymous leaker. We break down what leaked (9/11-era cut scenes, a phantom Wii port), why Konami is suing, and how it stacks up against past game-industry leak responses.
Japan's government and three megabanks gained access to a frontier AI model for cyber defense, with the digital minister calling to expand it to critical infrastructure. Set against the new US executive order and the EU AI Act, here is how Tokyo's approach differs.
OpenAI is moving to offer its newest cyber-focused AI model, GPT-5.5 Cyber, to the Japanese government and industry. Former NSA Director Paul Nakasone, now an OpenAI board member, flew to Tokyo to pitch critical-infrastructure cooperation. We unpack the contrast with Anthropic's tightly controlled Claude Mythos, the China-threat framing, and what it means that OpenAI wants Japan as its first international partner.
Yokohama National University spinoff LQUOM has closed a 1.23 billion yen ($7.7M) Series B to build quantum repeaters, the missing piece of the quantum internet. Here is what that means, and how it stacks up against Aliro in the US, USTC in China, and Japan's planned Tokyo-Osaka quantum backbone.
Anthropic's Head of Global Affairs Michael Sellitto arrived in Tokyo May 15 and confirmed the company is weighing participation in the cyber defense corporate alliance proposed by Japan's ruling LDP. Modeled on US Project Glasswing, the framework will test Japan's distinctive 'middle path': an AI Promotion Law with no penalties, sitting between the EU AI Act's hard regulation and the deregulatory turn under the Trump administration.
On May 4 in Canberra, PM Takaichi and PM Albanese signed five joint documents including the Economic Security Joint Declaration. Six critical mineral projects backed by $1.2B. How Japan's approach differs from the US IRA and EU CRMA, and what it means for global supply chains.
On May 1, Japan's METI met infrastructure operators from the power and gas sectors, and Economy Minister Akazawa asked electricity companies to run emergency system inspections and report within a month. The order covers 24 critical-infrastructure operators in the power sector. The trigger was Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview, announced April 7, which surfaced a 27-year-old bug chain in OpenBSD's TCP SACK code among others. The UK's AISI reached a more measured verdict. How Japan's penalty-free approach compares with CISA's OT principles and the EU's NIS2.
Japan's National Intelligence Council Bill marks the country's biggest postwar intelligence reform. But similar PM-led intelligence bodies overseas have produced both spectacular successes (foiling the 2006 transatlantic bombing plot) and deep abuses: Korea's KCIA election interference, NSA mass surveillance, GCHQ's legal loopholes, BND monitoring German politicians for the NSA. What lessons should Tokyo draw?
TOPPAN Holdings, Japan's NICT, and Canada's ISARA have demonstrated a seamless migration path from current cryptography to post-quantum cryptography in certificate authority systems, without service disruption. The breakthrough addresses the looming quantum computing threat to existing encryption, targeting real-world deployment in healthcare, finance, and government by 2030.
Microsoft announced a $10 billion investment in Japan by 2029 to expand AI data centers, strengthen cybersecurity, and train 1 million engineers. We explore the partnerships with SoftBank and Sakura Internet, Japan's sovereign AI strategy, and why US tech giants are racing to invest across Asia.
Japan's FSA issued warnings to several unregistered operators including crypto exchange KuCoin, its second. How Japan's registration system works, how it compares to the US, EU and Singapore, and what the FIEA reform enacted in July 2026 changes.
Japanese companies have the lowest ransomware payment rate among 15 countries surveyed. Refusing to pay criminals has coincided with falling infection rates, but generative AI has erased the language barrier and major breaches keep coming. Where Japan's cyber defenses stand as the Active Cyber Defense Law phases in.
A Norton analysis reveals Japan has the world's highest risk ratio (0.91%) for sextortion scams in 2024. From social media grooming to AI-generated deepfakes, learn how this form of sexual blackmail targets victims in Japan, children above all,, why consultation cases have surged 14x in three years, and what individuals and families can do to stay safe.
Following a ransomware attack in September 2025, Asahi Beer's October-December sales fell nearly 20% year-on-year. This article examines the challenges facing Japanese corporate cybersecurity through the case of Japan's largest beer manufacturer, which suffered significant damage during the crucial year-end sales season.
Learn about "Kani-Kani Scam," a rising telephone fraud in Japan where scammers impersonate Hokkaido seafood vendors to sell overpriced, low-quality crab via cash-on-delivery. Discover how to protect yourself from this growing threat.