Small firms urged to step up cybersecurity

Jiji Press

17:52 JST, May 31, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — A government white paper Tuesday underlined the importance of cybersecurity, especially urging small companies to take measures against ransomware attacks.

More than half of ransomware damage reports in 2021 were from small companies, according to the annual paper on the manufacturing industry. But 30% of small businesses said that they are not taking any particular cybersecurity measures, the paper said.

The fiscal 2022 white paper highlighted a need to help small firms take countermeasures in a bid to strengthen cybersecurity for the country’s entire supply chains.

The paper also urged corporate Japan to step up efforts to respect human rights throughout the supply chains, following such moves in Europe and the United States.

The report said that only half of 760 surveyed major companies implemented human rights due diligence, or checking whether acts in violation of human rights, such as forced labor, are taking place at their business partners.

Japanese companies have more to do to protect human rights in supply chains, the paper said.