Japan personal data leaks double in FY 2024 to record 21,000 cases
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Personal data leaks in organizations in Japan more than doubled to a record 21,000 cases in fiscal 2024, a government panel's annual report showed Tuesday, highlighting inadequate protections in the public and private sectors.
Contributing to the 58 percent rise were breaches reported by labor and social security attorney offices that use the same software provider, as well as an increased awareness among companies regarding their duty to report data leaks.
Of the 21,007 reported cases, 19,056 were linked to the private sector, a 57 percent increase from fiscal 2023.
Among them, 2,745 involved disclosures of unauthorized access to records held on the servers of MKSystem Corp., which provides software solutions to businesses offering labor and social security services, the report said.
Among the private sector cases, Japan's Personal Information Protection Commission recommended that one business implement corrective measures after finding a serious violation of the law on the protection of personal information, down from three in the previous fiscal year.
Conversely, it issued guidance or advice to private companies in 395 cases, a 19 percent rise.
Public sector data leaks increased 68 percent to 1,951 cases, with many involving human error, such as mistaken issuance or delivery.
Separately, reports of data leaks involving the "My Number" national identification system soared by around 6.1 times to 2,052 cases, with improper access to the MKSystem software accounting for 1,726 instances.
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