BOOKOFF and Big Echo operator confirm breaches as exposed records near 15 million in Japan

Japan is dealing with another large-scale data breach after BOOKOFF and Daiichikosho, the company behind the BIG ECHO karaoke chain, said on Oct. 9 that databases tied to subsidiaries and outsourced vendors had been illegally accessed by a third party. The number of affected member records was put at 6.43 million for BOOKOFF and 8.72 million for Daiichikosho, bringing the combined total close to 15 million. The companies said the leaked data included names, dates of birth, phone numbers and email addresses. Both also said their systems did not store full credit card details, and that no confirmed case of third-party misuse had been identified so far. The report places the incidents in a broader wave of cyberattacks in Japan. Trend Micro said Japanese companies had reported 604 security incidents from January to early October this year, while National Police Agency data showed 123 ransomware attacks in the first half alone, a record high. The article also cites IBM and Gartner on the role of AI tools in lowering attack costs and on weak vulnerability management across Japanese companies, while noting that Japan has passed the Active Cyber Defense Act and set up a National Cybersecurity Office.