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Japan Reports 19,417 Personal Data Breaches in Fiscal 2025, Down from Prior Year
The total marked the second-highest annual figure on record, down from 21,007 cases the prior year. Government agencies saw a record number of incidents while private entities reported fewer.
Jul 8, 1:39 AM·1m read1 source
Japan TimesAudio version
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Japan received reports of 19,417 personal data breach cases in fiscal 2025, the second-highest annual total on record, according to a report by the Personal Information Protection Commission adopted by the cabinet on July 7. The figure fell from 21,007 cases the previous year.
Private-sector entities accounted for 17,139 breaches, down from 19,056, while government agencies reported a record 2,278 cases, up from 1,951.
The commission issued one administrative order, its most severe measure, to a name list broker that supplied names and addresses to fraud group members. That case led to the commission’s first emergency order in May 2025. The commission also issued 649 guidance or advisory measures and two recommendations.
“Many cases involved hospitals and pharmacies erroneously providing documents to the wrong recipients or companies misdirecting items such as credit cards,” digital transformation and cybersecurity minister Hisashi Matsumoto said after the cabinet meeting. “We’ll check what measures are taken to prevent a recurrence and continue taking action,” he said.
