Last month, brewing giant Asahi Group Holdings and office supplies seller Askul faced major cyberattacks. These strikes, including ransomware attacks, also impacted lifestyle retailer Muji's online stores. The incidents underscore the rapid evolution of cybercrime in Japan, drawing attention to key vocabulary terms.
In Japan, a cautious mindset—evident even in grammar with phrases meaning 'better safe than sorry'—extends from earthquakes to cyberattacks. The writer notes, 'All it takes is a small earthquake... to make me think, “Should I update my to-go bag?” Similarly, when I hear about a cyberattack (saibā kōgeki), I think, “Should I update my passwords?”'
Last month, Asahi Group Holdings and Askul endured major cyberattacks, with lingering effects from ransomware attacks (ransamuwea kōgeki) that also struck Muji's online stores. Cybercrime (saibā hanzai) evolves as quickly as technology, moving beyond widespread exposure-type (bakuro-gata) attacks to sophisticated double-extortion schemes (nijū kyōhaku-gata). In these, ransomware encrypts an organization's data, enabling hackers (hakkā) to demand two ransoms: one to safeguard the data and another to restore it.
These events highlight Japan's preventive cultural approach, where cybersecurity vocabulary gains prominence amid rising threats.