Japanese companies are offering compensation to customers affected by cyberattacks and data breaches as a series of incidents raises fresh concerns about the safety of personal information and the financial cost of weak cybersecurity. GMO Internet Group has announced payments to customers affected by unauthorised access to its foreign exchange trading service, while car-sharing operator Park24 has also pledged compensation following a separate data breach, Reuters reported.
GMO Chief Executive Officer Masatoshi Kumagai said in a blog post that all affected customers would receive an initial payment of 5,000 yen ($32) as a gesture of goodwill, in addition to compensation for losses linked to the incident.
The company also said the attackers had threatened to disclose company and customer information in connection with a ransom demand. GMO said it would not comply with the demand and would coordinate its response with police and other authorities.
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To help customers affected by the disruption, the group plans to offer a free alternative service for six months. However, it has yet to determine the total financial impact of compensation payments and other measures taken in response to the attack.
The incident has also weighed on investor sentiment. GMO shares fell nearly 14 per cent to a four-month low on Friday, even as Tokyo's benchmark stock index rose 0.3 per cent, reflecting concerns about the potential financial fallout.
Japan steps up cybersecurity efforts
The attacks come as Japanese authorities look for ways to strengthen the country's defences against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The government has announced plans to establish a team that will use artificial intelligence to simulate cyberattacks and identify vulnerabilities in technology systems.
The move follows hacking attempts targeting weaknesses in PHP, a programming language used by a large number of websites. Government and corporate websites in Japan, Europe and elsewhere experienced outages last week after critical vulnerabilities were disclosed, triggering millions of hacking attempts.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that AI tools can make attacks easier to carry out by automating tasks such as scanning for software vulnerabilities and creating phishing campaigns. This has increased pressure on businesses and public institutions to identify weaknesses before attackers exploit them.
GMO has also urged the Japanese government to apply cyber defence measures following the incident. A framework introduced this month could allow authorities to conduct operations against hostile servers to neutralise threats.
The growing number of incidents points to the scale of the challenge facing Japanese businesses. TrendAI data recorded 723 cybersecurity incidents in Japan in the year to October 20, already exceeding the annual totals for both 2024 and 2025.
Park24 announces compensation after data breach
GMO is not the only Japanese company facing the financial consequences of a cyber incident. Park24, which operates the Times car-sharing service, has announced payments of 3,000 yen to customers affected by a personal data breach.
The company also said it would stop retaining images of identity documents after completing registration verification, a change aimed at reducing the amount of sensitive information it stores. Park24 expects to record an extraordinary loss of 5.5 billion yen related to the incident and customer compensation.
Together, the cases highlight how cyberattacks can carry costs beyond immediate service disruptions, including compensation, changes to data-handling practices and damage to investor confidence. For companies handling financial and personal information, the challenge is not only responding to breaches but also preventing them and maintaining customer trust.
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Moody's Ratings warned that companies with inadequate software-patching practices could face increasing risks, particularly those operating extensive digital networks. The incidents have reinforced calls for stronger security investment and closer cooperation between businesses and government authorities.
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