THE UNEASE is mounting in Japan. On September 25th Times Car, a big car-hire company, fell prey to(沦为……的猎物，成为……的受害者) hackers who gained access to more than 6m customer accounts. A few days later a popular barbecue chain reported a data breach affecting nearly 11m accounts. A big securities firm was also hit. A public university had to shut down for a week after a ransomware(勒索软件) attack. And then a ransomware attack on a subsidiary(子公司，附属公司) of SoftBank disrupted services for some 500 firms and local governments, knocking websites offline(使网站下线).
日本社会的不安情绪正在加剧。9月25日，大型租车公司Times Car沦为黑客的猎物，超过600万个客户账户被入侵。几天后，一家人气烧烤连锁店报告了一起数据泄露事件，近1100万个账户受到影响。一家大型证券公司也遭到攻击。一所公立大学在遭受勒索软件攻击后被迫停课一周。随后，软银的一家子公司又遭勒索软件攻击，导致约500家企业和地方政府的服务中断，网站纷纷下线。
The spate(一连串，接二连三) of large-scale attacks is forcing Japan to confront its cyber vulnerabilities(脆弱性，漏洞). Forescout, a cyber-security firm, sees a sharp increase in attacks on Japan this year compared with recent ones. Japanese officials are scrambling to(争相，匆忙做) strengthen cyber-defences, as part of a broader shift towards toughening up on(在……方面采取更强硬措施) national security. Under a new Active Cyber Defence law, which took effect on October 1st, Japan's Self-Defence Forces (SDF) and its police agency will be allowed to pre-emptively infiltrate and neutralise hostile servers for the first time.(根据10月1日生效的新《主动网络防御法》，日本自卫队和警察机构将首次获准先发制人地入侵并瘫痪敌对服务器。) Yet as artificial intelligence fuels cybercrime and empowers cyber-attackers, Japan may struggle to keep pace(跟上步伐).
这一连串大规模攻击正迫使日本正视自身的网络脆弱性。网络安全公司Forescout发现，与近几年相比，今年针对日本的攻击急剧增加。日本官员正忙于加强网络防御，这是其整体上收紧国家安全政策的一部分。根据10月1日生效的新《主动网络防御法》，日本自卫队和警察机构将首次获准先发制人地入侵并瘫痪敌对服务器。然而，随着人工智能助长网络犯罪、增强攻击者的能力，日本可能难以跟上步伐。
Japan has long lagged behind(落后于) in cyber-security. In 2021 the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a British think-tank, placed it in the lowest of three tiers in an assessment of 15 countries' cyber capabilities (America was in tier one and Britain tier two), citing fragmented governance, weak intelligence and underdeveloped offensive capabilities.(2021年，英国智库国际战略研究所对15个国家的网络能力进行评估，将日本列为三个等级中的最低一级（美国为第一级，英国为第二级），理由是其治理分散、情报薄弱、进攻能力欠发达。)
日本在网络安全方面长期落后。2021年，英国智库国际战略研究所对15个国家的网络能力进行评估，将日本列为三个等级中的最低一级（美国为第一级，英国为第二级），理由是其治理分散、情报薄弱、进攻能力欠发达。