Japanese lawmakers have reacted with incredulity after it the country’s new cyber security minister admitted that he did not use a computer.
Yoshitaka Sakurada was named deputy chief of the government’s cybersecurity strategy office last month. However, taking questions from fellow lawmakers during a House of Representatives committee meeting, he made an astonishing admission.
The 68-year-old minister said he had never used a computer, explaining that “since I was 25 I have been in a position of authority where secretaries and employees handle such tasks for me”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When pressed on how he would be able to protect Japan from cyber-attacks, Sakurada said “policy was decided broadly by a number of people in his office and the national government, and he was confident there would be no problems”, the Asahi Shimbun reports.
He also appeared confused when asked about the security of USB drives held at nuclear facilities, to the point that “lawmakers reportedly laughed at his replies, which were broadcast live on national TV”, says CNBC.
His lack of computer literacy has baffled and appalled many Japanese, including the parliamentary colleague who quizzed Sakurada on his computer experience.
“It’s shocking to me that someone who hasn’t even touched computers is responsible for dealing with cybersecurity policies,” said Democratic Party representative Masato Imai.
After spending 22 years in Japan’s parliament without a cabinet brief, last month Sakurada was appointed as both deputy chief of cybersecurity and minister in charge of delivering the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
In addition to his cyber-gaffes, Sakurada’s performance in his other portfolio has hardly been more satisfactory, says the Asahi Shimbun.
In one committee meeting, he mistakenly told ministers the Olympics would cost Japan 1,500 yen (£10.31) rather than the actual figure of 150 billion yen (£1bn). “During news conferences for the Olympics he has often simply answered: "I don't know’,” the newspaper adds.
-
August 24 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include Putin at Donald Trump's circus, gallons of whitewash, and a foldable cartoon
-
5 Post Office-approved cartoons about mail-in votingCartoons Artists take on reverse logic, Putin's election advice, and more
-
The battle of the weight-loss drugsTalking Point Can Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly regain their former stock market glory? A lot is riding on next year's pills
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
US and Japan strike trade dealSpeed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
A manga predicting a natural disaster is affecting tourism to JapanUnder the Radar The 1999 book originally warned of a disaster that would befall Japan in 2011 — a prophecy that came true
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Japan is opening up to immigration – but is it welcoming immigrants?Under the Radar Plummeting birth rates and ageing population leaves closed-off country 'no choice' but to admit foreign workers, but tensions are growing with newly arrived Muslims
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
The Japanese rice crisisUnder The Radar Japan's staple food is in short supply and everything from bad harvests to rising tourist numbers is being blamed
