Japanese media including NHK and Yomiuri News reported on December 28 that Japanese police have identified a Chinese student who entered Japan and was suspected of attempting to purchase Japanese high-tech security software illegally. He was apparently under the command of a Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer. The Japanese Police Department has obtained an arrest warrant for the student and will soon issue an international warrant.
Police investigators say the Chinese student, in his 30s, is suspected of having attempted the purchase used the name of a fictitious Japanese company and the person who was in charge in November 2016. The PLA officer who contacted him belonged to China’s “61419th Army,” a unit believed to be the Chinese hacking group Tick, which is responsible for cyberattacks on Japanese companies and research institutions.
Fortunately, the transaction was not concluded because the software company found it suspicious. As the Chinese student has returned to China, Japanese police have received permission to arrest him on suspicion of fraud. They will soon issue an international warrant through Interpol. The Japanese police believe that China is trying to buy Japanese high-tech security software to analyze the weaknesses of Japanese companies’ systems and collect intelligence to carry out cyberattacks.
Source: Radio Free Asia, December 28, 2021
https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/japan-12282021094647.html