The case reported by the media apparently happened several years ago. Late last year, Nikkei Asia reported that Japan plans to add thousands of personnel to its military cyber defense unit. At the time, it might have been confusing why the country suddenly started hiring so many cybersecurity experts, but now we know why.

What happened

According to The Washington Post, Hackers from China had “deep and permanent access” to Japanese defense networks. The US National Security Agency first discovered this hack in late 2020. Then the head of the NSA and commander of the US Cyber ​​Command, General Paul Nakasone, flew to Japan, along with the White House deputy national security adviser, Matthew Pottinger, to brief the authorities about him.

Despite briefings dating back to the Japanese prime minister, The Post reported that hacking attacks from China remained a problem for months, continuing from the end of the Trump administration to early 2021.

US Cyber ​​Command initially offered to help Japan clean its networks of malware, but reportedly rejected because the country doesn’t want another country’s military to have access to its systems.

Instead, Japan chose to use domestic commercial security firms to find vulnerabilities and relied solely on the US as an instructor for what those firms would find. Japan eventually adopted a more proactive national security strategy.