Iran Press/ Asia: The daily average of suspicious internet access cases, including cyberattacks, has also hit a record high of 7,707.9 per internet protocol address, the National Police Agency said.
With the rise in remote working due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of ransomware attacks, in which hackers demand payment in exchange for restoring access to data, soared 57.5 percent from the previous year to 230 cases across 37 of Japan's 47 prefectures, according to the agency's data.
The scale of business operations was not a factor in the ransomware attacks, with half of the victims small and medium-sized firms, the data showed.
A new bureau and special investigative team tasked with tackling serious cybercrime cases were established at the National Police Agency in April last year.
The manufacturing sector was the hardest hit with 75 cases, followed by services at 49 and the medical sector at 20.
Of the 182 attacks in which the modus operandi was revealed, 119 involved "double extortion ransomware," involving both the encryption and exfiltration of a victim's data that a perpetrator threatens to disclose unless a payment is made.
In a survey of affected companies, 63 of the 102 valid responses said an attack was launched via a virtual private network service, 19 involved remote desktop software with a hacker gaining control of a device, and nine were linked to suspicious emails.
Half of the respondents said it took less than a month to restore their systems, although some answered that it took more than two months. The majority said the overall cost for restoration totaled between 10 million yen ($75,000) and 50 million yen.
The daily average of suspicious internet access cases, including cyberattacks, nearly tripled from 2,752.8 in 2018. The majority originated abroad, with the increase believed to be linked to the spread of smart home appliances.
Among the total 12,369 cybercrime cases in which the police launched investigations, 3,304 were scams, while 1,560 involved violations of the child prostitution and pornography laws, and 522 of the unauthorized computer access law.
Child suicides in Japan hit record high of 514 in 2022
A record 514 children attending elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan died by suicide in 2022, topping the previous high of 499 seen in 2020, government data showed Tuesday, with the upward trend apparently fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Suicides among females also increased for the third straight year, rising 67 from the previous year to 7,135, the data showed.
Overall, the number of people taking their own lives in Japan increased 874 to 21,881, with male suicides seeing the first increase in 13 years at 14,746 cases, up 807 from the year before.
A total of 17 elementary school pupils, 143 junior high school students and 354 high school students killed themselves in 2022.
The rise in the numbers could be attributable to the lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which began in 2020, said a ministry official working on measures to prevent suicides.
"We will closely monitor the situation and deepen our analysis, including the impact of the coronavirus," the official said.
The number of suicides per 100,000 people increased to 17.5, up 0.8 from 2021.
By age groups, those in their 50s accounted for the largest number of suicides at 4,093, up 475 from the previous year, while those in their 80s also showed a significant increase of 276 to 2,490.
Health issues were the most common reasons behind suicides of both sexes, accounting for 12,774 cases, or the majority of suicides last year, followed by family problems at 4,775 and problems related to economic and life issues at 4,697. Employment issues accounted for 2,968.
The data was compiled by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare based on suicide statistics released by the National Police Agency, Kyodo reported.
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