Tokyo: Japan said it would take countermeasures to ensure next year’s Tokyo Olympics are not derailed by cyberattacks after Britain and the US accused Russia of orchestrating efforts to disrupt the Games.
Olympics organizers reported no significant impact on their operations for the 2020 Games, which were postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Britain and the United States condemned what they said were a series of malicious cyberattacks orchestrated by Russian military intelligence, including attempts to disrupt the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
Japanese chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato declined to give details but said Japan would make every effort to protect the Games from possible hacking attempts.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to malicious cyberattacks that threaten democracy,” Kato told a news conference, adding that Japan was gathering and analysing information and in close contact with Britain and the United States.
“The Olympics are a major international event that attract attention, and cybersecurity measures are extremely important.”
British officials said the hackers from Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency had also conducted “cyber reconnaissance” operations against Tokyo Games organizers.
Olympic sponsor Panasonic Corp said in a statement they were strengthening their global monitoring efforts, adding, “We did not detect any evidence of an attack.”
Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations. Russia was banned from the world’s top sporting events for four years in December over widespread doping offences, including the Tokyo Games.
