"Japanese Mitsubishi Electric Hacking Likely Leaked High-Speed Missile Performance Information"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 20th, Asahi Shimbun reported that information about the performance of the hypersonic glide missile being researched by the Japanese Ministry of Defense appears to have been leaked due to a cyberattack on Mitsubishi Electric Japan.

Asahi cited government officials saying that it is highly likely that the "performance requirements" delivered by the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency to several defense industries, including Mitsubishi, before the bidding decision were exposed in the cyberattack. Asahi also reported that the actual bidder who won the contract was a defense company different from Mitsubishi.

The hypersonic glide missile is a weapon that follows a complex trajectory, performing supersonic long-range gliding to penetrate enemy missile defense systems and precisely strike targets. China, Russia, and the United States are developing such weapons, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense began research for equipment development in 2018.

The performance requested by the Minister of Defense appears to include propulsion and other factors. Although this is not legally classified as protected secrets, it corresponds to cautionary information that could interfere with defense operations. Asahi reported that the Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency had also demanded Mitsubishi to thoroughly protect this information.

This cyberattack was confirmed after suspicious files were discovered on servers operated by Mitsubishi Electric in Japan in June last year, prompting a company-wide internal investigation. Earlier this year, Asahi reported the possibility that Japanese defense secrets or information related to critical infrastructure such as power and railways might have been leaked. The possibility of involvement by Chinese hackers remains under consideration.