Ransomware cases in Japan hit new high in first half of 2026

A total of 123 cases of ransomware attacks were confirmed in Japan in January through June, hitting the highest level on a half-year basis since the start of existing data in 2020, National Police Agency data on cyberthreats showed Thursday.

Damage related to ransomware attacks, in which perpetrators encrypt data and demand a ransom in exchange for decryption, is expanding as methods of the cybercrime are becoming more sophisticated, according to the NPA.

The figure for the first half of 2026 was up by seven from a year before. Of the total, 31 cases occurred at major companies.

Restoration took more than a month in over half of the total cases while nine cases led to entire business suspensions. The amount of damage topped ¥10 million ($65,000) in 60% of the total.

In January through June, the NPA detected about 13,700 cases of suspicious access per day, up about 50% from a year before. They apparently included attempts by those behind ransomware and other attacks to confirm the level of vulnerability in the computer systems of their potential targets.

The NPA data also found that financial losses from online fraud totaled ¥175.5 billion in the first half, up 45%, due to a rapid increase in cases in which victims are tricked into remitting money using online banking services.

Reported cases of phishing where passwords and other information are stolen through fake emails decreased year on year to about 730,000 although the figure was still high. An analysis showed that 45% of the servers used to send phishing emails are estimated to have been in China, followed by 14% in Japan and 10% in Brazil.

The Internet Hotline Center, which operates in partnership with the NPA, received 68,842 cases of illegal information in the first six months. Of them, 5,259 were related to online casinos, a category added to the scope of information sought by the center in September last year.

The center asked internet providers for deletion or access restriction for 21 cases involving online casinos and a total of 879 related to social media posts and ads.

Cases of information soliciting those undertaking so-called dark part-time jobs, such as participating in crimes as perpetrators, totaled 12,516.