Japan probes website attacks by Anonymous hacker group

Well, well, well, the chickens are coming home to roost! The government went too far this time, I think this time around, many people are going to fight back, this law of big brother spying on you is way out of control and now they are already meeting some serious resistance. The government brought it on themselves! There were other ways they could have handled this, but NO, they just want arrest people at every whim! Push people to conform to a certain standard, it's not working this time. Now they have a fight on their hands! This is probably the first time where I want to give a hacker the high five! I'm sure there are more to come, Pandoras box is opened. Interesting how this could play out.

dear anonymous, now please go after tepco

Thank you Anonymous!!!! I hope they go after the sites that censor freedom of speech as well.

The Japanese have copied thousands if not millions of inventions from all over the world. Whole industries have sprung up from the inspiration of others with connivance of the Japanese authorities I wonder if this law won't be a little toothless?

Raising awareness about the issue is needed YES. However I personally question the effectiveness of hacking any government sites as it will probably just strengthen the resolve of the hard headed political types that "claim" that this law is necessary. Most people who have lived here long enough know that the Japanese are stubborn as hell when it comes to change, but once a change is made they jump in feet first, right or wrong, and screw the consequences.

@Yubaru

While I agree with you on that point, I will add to that, that no matter what right or wrong, the J-government are digging their heels in the sand, they have spoken, so really there's nothing to lose at this point. I think this is something totally different. Think about the overall implications, NO DOWNLOADING OF ANYTHING! Do you realize how many millions of people its affecting? I think also people just aren't happy that the government is spying looking over their shoulder. They are already coming to your residence harassing you and trying to force you to pay for NHK, that's ok, but harassing you and wanting to incarcerate for downloading? I understand your argument, but don't you think it's strange, there are a lot of people that don't pay for NHK, yet, the Gestapo doesn't come by arrest them? So the government wants to be selective in the people that they arrest and the people that they harass. There are plenty of ways to resolve this issue without resorting to totalitarian tactics! I think that's most peoples beef. Now its come to who's going to blink first.

100% fully support Anonymous! Heroes in their own rite! Thank you Anonymous! Please never stop fighting!

Thanks Anonymous! Attack the DPJ site too. This country does not have crisis-control skills.

My money is on the Hackers successfully evading Japanese authorities for a long time.

There's a deafening sound of 56k modems dialling up in Japanese government ministries now, trying to figure out what to do.

I guess my comment echoing what others have said was deemed to be too off-topic.

Am I allowed to ask what was in place of the three full stops in the line, "The content industry is now pushing ISPs in Japan to implement surveillance technology that will spy on… every single Internet user in Japan" or is that off-topic too? Could be pretty important as it could completely change what the quote actually said. You could write "The content industry... will spy on... every single Internet user in Japan" - see what I mean?

Keep up the good work Anonymous people!

Investigating state employees for "tattoos"! Spying on internet users (the EU rejected the law!).

Heil Japan!

If someone is downloading a 10 minute video of child pornography, they won't be monitored and stopped that very same minute... it can take a few days before the evidence is collected from the ISP, or it can even go unnoticed. However, when another person downloads 10 minutes worth of badly compressed music videos, that will be recorded immediately and they can be held responsible.

But watching someone traumatizing a child in unspeakable ways is much more of a crime in my opinion than watching a grainy copy of Rihanna's 3 year old music video... don't you agree?

This was on the news last night and whom ever the hackers may be they hit some pretty obscure sites in their attacks. A water management facility in the middle of nowhere is one, and another was misplaced due to the kanji being wrong as well.

Raising awareness about the issue is needed YES. However I personally question the effectiveness of hacking any government sites as it will probably just strengthen the resolve of the hard headed political types that "claim" that this law is necessary. Most people who have lived here long enough know that the Japanese are stubborn as hell when it comes to change, but once a change is made they jump in feet first, right or wrong, and screw the consequences.

“The content industry is now pushing ISPs in Japan to implement surveillance technology that will spy on… every single Internet user in Japan,” it said.

Invasion of privacy much? I hope this fails like everything in the government.

Censorship of the internet is one of the few things that really scares me. I mean it.. I literally get scared thinking about internet censorship.

It feels like it truly is the last place we can have our say. And that's saying something. Ahh! Can't let it happen. Also im aware that this isn't internet censorship but more so to do with copyright laws. But its all about getting the foot in the door. Once something gets through, they push little bits and pieces until one day you realise they control the door completely.

They should attack TEPCO and uyoku's next.

@Thunderbird

Given the history of how Japanese government overreact to things, probably. Remember, busting and fining people over this can bring a lot of revenue in for the government.

@Kanade

You might be right, but why stop now, we as citizens (tax paying at that) have to have some basic human rights, this is much bigger than downloading. Sometimes, you need to draw a line in the sand to make a difference. Rosa Parks did. Food for thought.

Considering the IT skill level in Japan (Sony etc), they will get bored and find challenges elsewhere in no time. Password 1234 just isn't safe.

I've also witnessed what Kurisupisu just said. Foreign patent owners simply aren't respected. And not much domestic ones either. Hard to see the difference with China. God I hope I'm working for the wrong company here, this is just pathetic.

Thank you Anonymous!!!! I hope they go after the sites that censor freedom of speech as well.

Now that's some wish. I know who you're referring to.

@soldave,

It's a great point. The police aren't allowed to wiretap the Yakuza making phonecalls AFAIK, but the system is now in place to monitor and arrest little girls watching AKB48 on YouTube. That's some double standards. Methinks the Yakuza need to start their own ISP that will be off-limits to RIAJ and the police. (sarcasm)

I just feel that their priorities are really out of place with this. Where will the money go? Where will they put the juvenile offenders? Will it ruin lives? I feel that Anons have the same questions on their minds, and i fully support them in this gesture, just as i did when they attacked Monsanto... one thing though, pick your targets more carefully, no more water management facilities, ok?

Japan arrested a record 47 suspects through wiretapping in 2010

Legal wiretapping by the Japanese police, particularly on drug crimes is still being utilized. The Tokyo High Court upheld the conviction of a drug dealer member of a Japanese yakuza crime group even though defense counsel challenged the legality of the wiretapping, a relatively new legal tool in Japan. The Tokyo High Court specifically upheld the legality of the wiretapping even though the wiretapping law itself only permits it “only if no other method of determining criminal activity is available.”

About the new law and drug dealing the presiding judge of the Tokyo High Court held:

“There is a need to find out everything about drug smuggling that is going on and there were limits were limits to how well it could be investigated before the law came into place. The new law is appropriate.”

I didn't intend it to mean that they aren't allowed to do it at all. For that you need a court order.

Yes, which they aquired:

In 2010 investigative authorities wiretapped a total of 7,475 communications, all of which were cellphone conversations and text messages, in eight suspected drug smuggling cases, one suspected gang-related murder, and one case of gun possession.

I still stand by my belief that the laws make it easier to target the average citizen than the truly disruptive organized crime.

I admire your conviction and I'm not saying it didn't happen, but "they" would go bankrupt in no time (not to mention all the negative publicity this would yield which in turn could mean overturning said law (not really in their best interest):

In June 1997, the Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court's finding that the Kanagawa Prefectural Police had illegally wiretapped the home telephone of a senior member of the Japanese Communist Party. The court awarded damages of JPY 4 million (~USD 36,600).

The news report about the attacks on NHK news last night was hilarious to watch. They went to all the trouble of re-enacting the crime....with spooky Guy Fawkes anonymous masks on all the badguys. It was like watching an old Doctor Who episode from the seventies.... which left me so spooked I couldn't sleep after that!(笑）

should of seen this coming...

Exactly what I have been saying for years on this site, JAPAN HAS NO IT SECURITY!

But don't worry, all your personal info is safe in our hands, and we probably won't lose your nenkin AGAIN. Yours Sincerely Mr Noda and his IT security team.

I admire your conviction and I'm not saying it didn't happen, but "they" would go bankrupt in no time (not to mention all the negative publicity this would yield which in turn could mean overturning said law (not really in their best interest):

In June 1997, the Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court's finding that the Kanagawa Prefectural Police had illegally wiretapped the home telephone of a senior member of the Japanese Communist Party. The court awarded damages of JPY 4 million (~USD 36,600).

Well, not necessarily. The ISPs in every country already log your internet traffic, including the incoming and outgoing IP addresses, file names and sizes, total bandwidth use, connection uptime (duration and time of day), etc. It's quite a bit of data, but in doing so they absolve themselves of the responsibility for what their customers do.

As the service provider, they can face criminal charges if they don't hand over their logs in case their bandwidth and IP addresses are somehow involved in criminal activities.

Now, here lies the problem. DSL internet service is basically dial-up 2.0, still uses a phone line and dials in to the ISP to obtain its global IP address. The ISP has its IP block that serves its users in a certain geographic area, and the modem gets assigned one of those unused addresses randomly, recycling them between users. Most DSL modems are configured by default to disconnect when they are not in use, although i set mine to "keep alive" the connection 24/7. This way a dozen people may use the same IP address within a certain amount of time. Think of the IP as a rental car.. that's a perfect analogy.

So, if say, Pervert X is arrested after a concerned neighbor reports hearing muffled cries of a child coming from the single man's apartment. The police seize the rugs, the couch, several computers and mobile phones, clothes and camera equipment. Investigators would then call the ISP and request all of the IP addresses that were used by his modem as well as the access logs for those IP addresses.

Now Taro across town has just discovered the Beatles and downloaded several albums' worth of CD quality losslessly encoded MP3s and a 950MB recording of a live concert. One of the IP addresses in rotation goes to him after being used for nefarious purposes. Through a mix-up or incompetence, Taro's access log may also be handed over if the IP address was recycled the same day, and even though the investigators will see that it's not a piece of the Pervert X's log, it's up to them to decide whether they want to prosecute Taro or not.

It's not crazy to assume this will happen, through mis-communication or some other accidental means. And Taro can't say that he was illegally wiretapped, if the logs are legal and the request was made through a lawful means.

My the attacks by Anonymous continue until the Japanese government gets back in line!

I don't think what this group did will have any effect on the government. I highly doubt anyone would change this law about ilelgal downloading. But it feels creepy that some old men from the ministry have all my PC data. I feel violated as a girl.

Good job, dudes! There are so many organizations in Japan that need to wake up, that I can't even foresee where the hackers group is heading next xD

@bass4funk:

Agreed. I also think something has to be done. But I also wonder if there actually IS anything that could make the government change this law. I think Japan's been stripping people of privacy recently. Starting with tattoos and followed by this law. I wonder how far it's gonna go.

I posted the links below on another thread. It could be that Japan enacted this law because of the demands of the American music and movie industries are included in all (the secretive) TPP negotiations. America insists all countries must comply to these demands if they want to be part of this treaty.

I think this story (see following link, which should also interest Canadians!) explains the rush to get this legislation enacted in Japan:

<http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/26/canada-trans-pacific-partnership-internet-copyright_n_1628687.html

and this (which should interest all Americans):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/25/trans-pacific-partnership-documents-sherrod-brown-jeff-merkley-ron-wyden-robert-menendez_n_1624956.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HP%2FPolitics+(Politics+on+The+Huffington+Post)

"Democratic" governments around the world are seriously worried about the implications of a free internet. All their mistakes, secret plans and cover-ups exposed in a free media accessed by millions that these governments cannot control. All of them looking for some "legitimate" excuse to force ISPs to start monitoring their customers. Look at the latest try from the U.K.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/may/11/default-web-porn-block-unworkable

even though defense counsel challenged the legality of the wiretapping, a relatively new legal tool in Japan. The Tokyo High Court specifically upheld the legality of the wiretapping even though the wiretapping law itself only permits it “only if no other method of determining criminal activity is available.”

If someone's IP address shows up at a torrent, the police have enough grounds to request the data logs from the ISP. Whatever shows up in the logs will be enough grounds for a search warrant, and whatever is seized will be enough for a conviction. Sad, isn't it? Like pulling on one string and unraveling a whole T-shirt...

First all internet activity will be watched and recorded, then the next thing you know predator drones will be flying overhead....

bajhista65Jun. 28, 2012 - 04:33PM JST

Har...har...har.... Why punish the downloaders. If there are no uploads, there are no downloads Punish the uploaders.

Technically, copyright laws only hold for the person breaching the laws anyway, and downloading from someone isn't copying, it's simply receiving. Perhaps Japan has laws stating that reception of copyrighted materials is illegal, but if so, then all the record companies are breaking the law by getting demo tapes that have covers by works they don't own. REMzzz might be able to dig deeper there.

Personally I'm all for prosecuting the people who upload content illegally, but leave the others out.

lol!

The Japanese gov't should have known better. These guys just do it for sport, and anything that gives even a tiny bit of moral justification for the attacks is a good enough excuse for them to go out and do it again.

No one should ever forget what Anons did to HBGary Federal. http://attrition.org/errata/sec-co/hbgary01.html The company was practically begging them stop. There is a chat log of it out there....

Dose that mean no more free AKB48? Hmm look at the bright side I guess

Dose that mean no more free AKB48? Hmm look at the bright side I guess

As difficult as it may be, probably. I know, I'm hurting too.

The police aren't allowed to wiretap the Yakuza

Please check your facts 'cause I believe that is incorrect.

Steps to do if you get caught (and you are Japanese)

** Deeply bow.

** Express "remorse".

** Say you are "deeply sorry".

** Jerk a tear.

You'll be let off.

@jumpultimatestars

Please, as the first comment, use real English. It's not "Should of"; it's "should've" or "should have".

Really? You're going to be a grammar Nazi on an internet forum? You should invest more time in getting a life.

But do you really hear it as 'should of'? I'm interested 'cause I see this "irregularity" shall we say, quite often.

But watching someone traumatizing a child in unspeakable ways is much more of a crime in my opinion than watching a grainy copy of Rihanna's 3 year old music video... don't you agree?

I would rather have people arrested for hunting and watching the Daniel Pearl beheading. Or maybe we should just forget about what people watch altogether and focus on what they do? Yes, I think that would be a good idea. Trouble is that as nutty as Japan just got about copyrighted downloads, others have been nutty about downloads they just plain don't want you to see...but you want to watch an al-Qaida beheading? Oh, we are powerless to stop you! Malarkey.

Can I just ask... are the new laws going to ban the downloading of everything? Including application forms, PDF colouring files from the Tokyo MPD site for kids... even print-out paper models? How about e-tickets? Or is just downloading copyright material? I can't imagine they'll stop people watching You Tube... TV Asahi and the JGSDF have official channels on there, as do quite a few other Japanese interests. So the Japanese can upload to the internet but not download?

Anonymous and NHK are both in breach of copyright, using V for Vendetta masks. If I was Alan Moore and David Lloyd I'd be suing them, lol

Har...har...har.... Why punish the downloaders. If there are no uploads, there are no downloads Punish the uploaders.

Har...har...har.... Why punish the downloaders. If there are no uploads, there are no downloads Punish the uploaders.

But wouldn't that defeat the purpose? Essentially, you would be punishing the downloaders too. See what I mean, one big merry-go-round of a cluster....

i never make myself likable to authority but first of all : if ANY government site gets hacked by a 'loose', unfunded collective, you can for starters be sure that your tax money is handled by the wrong people and your state security shouldnt be making too much noise because they kinda don't know what they're doing second: the only way to react to someone being jailed for just a download is to collectively refuse to buy the song, cd, or movie, that's the only thing that would impact, but that kind of solidarity is non-existent among homo sapiens anywhere on earth, don't feel left out third : how come i register twice on my hotmail account and never get a confirmation email, yet when i use one of my private adresses it's there in less than two seconds, is this a known problem or just the americans blocking my plot again?

Reports indicate that they have made several errors such as attacking one of the ministry offices in Kasumigaura thinking it to be "Kasumigaseki(where the main ministry offices are located)" or attacking the LDP thinking it to be the ruling party instead of the DPJ. They are actually tweeting words of apologies explaining the difficulties in comprehending the Japanese language. This is all very cute but wish them luck nonetheless as their cause of action is highly understandable.

I'm going after the ammo, the next one is headed straight to Pyongyang

basroil JUN. 28, 2012 - 01:36PM JST

According to the Japanese courts, only if you are a citizen. Any non-Japanese in Japan have no such rights even though it's against several treaties that Japan signed.

Sounds just like the US with the Patriot Act. Any communication by foreigners or with foreigners ("registered" US-based foreigners or non-US phone numbers) is wiretapped and scanned for suspicious words before being either archived or discarded.

But in Japan, they still need to fax a piece of paper to the telco with an authorization to wiretap, and it's can't be issued by the tea lady, the janitor or a rookie cop. Somebody has to do it, even if not the judge, before wiretapping the gaijin.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/26/canada-trans-pacific-partnership-internet-copyrightn1628687.html >

So sorry...they changed the link. But it is well worth reading.

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/06/26/canada-trans-pacific-partnership-internet-copyright_n_1628687.html

If they are only hacking public websites not sure how much harm that actually creates. If they sent out the statement in English and not Japanese it just goes to show the limitations of their capabilities in actually having a hand on the critical information and relevant systems in Japan in my view.

@ Thomas Anderson

"They should attack TEPCO..."

Yeah, and give them even more excuses to screw up? No thanks. Anonymous should focus on this bill and anyone even attempting to shutdown P2P.

I didn't intend it to mean that they aren't allowed to do it at all. For that you need a court order, and the police need to wait for it before they can go through the cell phone provider, not always convenient when the Yaks prefer to use prepaid phones under somebody else's name, which they can get rid of if they suspect the line is being wiretapped. It's not the same as secretly going behind someone's house and plugging in your equipment. It takes much more work to get to where you have their conversations recorded.

In this case here, the ISPs monitor the internet user's traffic in realtime, no court order required. There was a case a few years ago where someone was also selling child porn using prepaid cellular internet modems, which made it difficult to control the situation.

I still stand by my belief that the laws make it easier to target the average citizen than the truly disruptive organized crime.

REMzzzJun. 28, 2012 - 12:32PM JST

I didn't intend it to mean that they aren't allowed to do it at all. For that you need a court order, and the police need to wait for it before they can go through the cell phone provider, not always convenient when the Yaks prefer to use prepaid phones under somebody else's name, which they can get rid of if they suspect the line is being wiretapped. It's not the same as secretly going behind someone's house and plugging in your equipment. It takes much more work to get to where you have their conversations recorded.

According to the Japanese courts, only if you are a citizen. Any non-Japanese in Japan have no such rights even though it's against several treaties that Japan signed.

@jessebaybay

Please, as the first comment, use real English. It's not "Should of"; it's "should've" or "should have".

censorship? Restriction of internet freedom? Monitoring? Punishment by imprisonment? Shame on the Japanese government to pass this bill when we were all preoccupied with the Oum Shinkyo crap