Cannot confirm leakage: Japan as report of Chinese hacking surfaces

Japan cannot confirm if any security information has been leaked, the top government spokesperson said on Tuesday when asked about a Washington Post report on Chinese hacking into its defence cyber networks.

Chinese military hackers gained access to a classified defence network in Japan beginning in 2020, accessing information about the U.S. ally’s military capabilities, plans and assessments of shortcomings, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing senior officials.

Upon hearing about the incident, the heads of the U.S. National Security Agency flew to Tokyo to brief the Japanese defence minister, who asked the U.S. officials to alert the prime minister themselves, the newspaper report said.