Several Ministry of Justice pages in Japan experienced a cyber intrusion. Access to these sites has been intermittent since Monday night, with an incident attributed to a hacker collective known as Anonymous. The event drew a formal briefing from the Executive, who confirmed ongoing access issues across multiple online platforms. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice explained that while temporary improvements were observed, problems resurfaced later in the day.
On the day of the incident, a Twitter account identified as Anonymous claimed responsibility, framing the attack as a response to Japan’s refugee policy. The message urged the government to reconsider its stance and to extend protection to asylum seekers, stressing the importance of humane treatment. A subsequent statement said refugees would receive continued support against what was described as fascist attitudes toward their status. The group signaled that refugees would remain a focal point of their activity in relation to Japan’s policies.
The disruption primarily affected the Ministry of Justice homepage and other essential public-facing portals. Officials noted the timing began at eight o’clock in the evening, local time, and that the outage persisted into the following day at around 1:30 PM. Citizens in Japan were actively voicing concerns and questions on social media during the incident.
Earlier in the year, Japan issued guidelines related to refugee recognition, drawing scrutiny over transparency in its procedures. Historically, the country grants a five-year residence permit to individuals recognized as refugees, with the option to apply for permanent residence if certain criteria are met. Japan’s annual refugee recognition rate has typically remained at relatively low levels, generally around a small percentage of total applications. These developments continue to shape public debate and government policy on asylum matters in the region.