In Japan, personal data breaches reached a record number of 13,000 cases in fiscal year 2023

Personal data breaches in Japan have increased by about 70 percent, reaching a record 13,279 cases in fiscal year 2023, a government panel’s draft annual report showed on Tuesday, highlighting poor data management in both the public and private sectors.

This total was increased by local governments, which reported almost 1,000 cases after being recently included in the list of entities obliged to report such spills, while companies saw a sharp increase.

Of the total, 12,120 data breaches were reported by the private sector in fiscal year 2023 ended in March, a 58 percent increase from the previous year.

In the public sector, including government agencies and municipalities, there were 1,159 cases – about 10 times more than in the previous year.

Most cases, in both the private and public sectors, involved fewer than 1,000 people each time, and the main cause was human error, such as incorrect delivery and improper disposal of paper documents.

However, the scale of data leaks on the Internet, e.g. involving Toyota Motor Corp. and messaging app operator Line, was significant.

Cases indicating the need to improve risk management in the national personal data management system included an incident involving the Digital Agency, which incorrectly registered numerous identifiers in the national identification system “My Number” with the data of other people.

In anticipation of the development of generative AI services, the report also highlights the importance of measures to prevent sensitive data such as medical history from being collected without consent.

The report is expected to be officially published after approval by the Council of Ministers in early June.

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