Intruders also erased data or directed visitors to the Web site of Playboy magazine. The government quickly established an emergency committee to discuss ways to block hackers. For Japan, it's not a computer problem. The weakness is with the law and the government's ability to cope. Sakamura said he suspects the recent attacks originated overseas, since that's where most hackers operate.
Net society knows no borders.
The Internet has grown by bounds in Japan in the last year, but it is still a new concept. And critics say more work is needed as more Japanese go online. For example, Sakamura said the government should hire more computer specialists to watch over the national computer network. The government has begun trying to beef up the country's defenses against cyber criminals. Last summer, Parliament passed a law to outlaw unauthorized access.