TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) The Japanese Defense Ministry has not logged any leaks of classified information following reports alleging that Chinese military hackers compromised classified defense networks of the East Asian nation, Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said on Tuesday.
On Monday, The Washington Post reported, citing current and former officials familiar with the matter, that the US National Security Agency in fall 2020 said that it had detected a Chinese cyberintrusion into Japan's defense networks. The cyberspies allegedly stole information pertaining to plans, capabilities and assessments of military shortcomings.
"No leaks of classified information held by the defense ministry have been reported as a result of cyberattacks," Hamada was quoted as saying by the Kyodo news agency.
The Washington Post reported that a former US military official briefed on the matter described the alleged cyberintrusion as "shockingly bad." Although Japan has taken steps to strengthen its networks, the United States believes it is still not enough to defend against spying from China, which may hinder intelligence sharing between the two countries, the report said citing officials.
In mid-July, The New York Times cited US officials as saying that Chinese hackers allegedly attempted to infiltrate certain US Department of State email accounts several weeks before Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Beijing in June. Furthermore, media reported that Chinese hackers hacked numerous US government emails, including those of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and some Department of State officials.
