Ransomware Cases in Japan Hit Record High in Jan.-June

In the first half of 2026, Japan experienced a record high number of ransomware attacks, with 123 cases confirmed by the National Police Agency. This is the highest level since data collection began in 2020, with a seven percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. The surge in ransomware attacks, which involve hackers encrypting data and demanding ransom for decryption, is attributed to increasingly sophisticated methods used by cybercriminals.

The figure for ransomware attacks in the first half of 2026 was a seven percent rise from the previous year. Of the total cases, 31 were reported in major companies. Restoration processes took more than a month in over half of the cases, while nine cases resulted in the complete suspension of business operations. About 60 percent of the total cases involved damage exceeding 10 million yen.

The National Police Agency detected approximately 13,700 cases of suspicious access per day between January and June, a 50 percent increase from the previous year. These suspicious activities were likely attempts by the perpetrators to assess the vulnerability of the computer systems of their potential targets.