Tokyo, Aug 8 (EFE).- Japan assured this Tuesday that it has not confirmed any leak of military secrets to China, hours after an American newspaper affirmed that hackers linked to Beijing had repeatedly circumvented Tokyo’s computer systems.
The Japanese government spokesman, Hirokazu Matsuno, said today during a regular press conference that his government is “aware of the information” published by the American newspaper The Washington Post, but refrained from providing more details “due to the nature of the matter “.
“We have not confirmed that any classified information held by the Ministry of Defense has been leaked due to a cyberattack,” Matsuno said without providing further information when asked about the matter during the appearance.
According to information from the aforementioned US media, which cites its own anonymous military sources, China-related military hackers have penetrated Japan’s military networks and accessed classified information, from military plans and capabilities to assessments of military deficiencies.
These sources assure that there would have been several cyberattacks or at least the presence of Chinese hackers on Japanese military networks from the fall of 2020 until well into 2021, in one “of the most damaging attacks in the country’s modern history.”
The breaches in Japanese cybersecurity would be one of the factors that would have been hindering a greater exchange of information between Tokyo and the Pentagon, according to said sources.
Some US officials have visited Japan on several occasions during the border closure in the archipelago due to the pandemic to help solve the problem, according to the newspaper.
Matsuno tried to dispel any doubts about the cooperation between Tokyo and Washington, saying: “Cybersecurity is the foundation for maintaining and strengthening the alliance between Japan and the United States, and we will continue to work firmly on it.”
Regarding Japan-China relations, the Japanese government spokesman said Tokyo will continue to call on Beijing “to act responsibly” as it works to build “constructive and stable relations” with the neighboring country.
The Japanese Minister of Defense, Yasukazu Hamada, also referred to this information today in another press conference and assured that to date “no cyber attack has affected our ability to carry out our mission”, according to statements collected by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei. EFE
mra/ahg/rrt
