Latest news with #WataruSekita
Asahi Shimbun
18-07-2025
- Climate
- Asahi Shimbun
Rainy season ends in Kanto, Hokuriku and southern Tohoku
Pedestrians walk at an intersection under clear skies in Tokyo's Ginza district on July 18. (Wataru Sekita) The Japan Meteorological Agency announced on July 18 that the rainy season has likely ended in the Kanto-Koshin, Hokuriku and southern Tohoku regions, slightly earlier than usual. This is one day earlier than average for the Kanto-Koshin region, five days earlier for the Hokuriku region and six days earlier for the southern Tohoku region. Westerly winds flowed more northerly than usual and the Pacific high pressure system strengthened over the Japanese archipelago, pushing the rainy season front to the north earlier this summer. This trend in the pressure pattern resulted in an earlier end to the rainy season nationwide. The only area where the end of the rainy season has not yet been announced is the northern Tohoku region. According to the JMA, the average temperature nationwide in June was 2.34 degrees higher than normal, the hottest since statistic-keeping began. According to preliminary figures of the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the internal affairs ministry, 16,943 people nationwide were transported to hospitals for suspected heat stroke in June, exceeding the previous record of 15,969 in 2022.
Asahi Shimbun
09-05-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Illicit stock deals using hijacked accounts exceed 300 billion yen
The Japan Securities Dealers Association warns on its website of a growing crisis involving hijacked brokerage accounts. (Wataru Sekita) Unauthorized stock market trades using hijacked brokerage accounts have soared in recent weeks, surpassing 304.9 billion yen ($2.08 billion) in value as of the end of April, the Financial Services Agency said. In a statement released on May 8, the FSA reported 3,505 cases of illicit transactions, a 2.4-fold increase from its previous update on April 16. Trading volume in the unauthorized dealings jumped 3.2-fold over that period. Hackers have gained access to the securities accounts by stealing login credentials often through phishing scams. Posing as the legitimate clients, the cybercriminals often sell shares held in the account and use the proceeds to buy stocks in Chinese firms or thinly traded Japanese equities. This coordinated buying is believed to be part of a market manipulation scheme aimed at driving up prices for financial gain. The hackers' schemes have become increasingly sophisticated. In some cases, they steal clients' identities by sending fake emails warning victims about phishing scams, mimicking the very alerts that legitimate securities firms use to protect their clients. Nine major Japanese brokerages have been affected: Rakuten Securities Inc.; SBI Securities Co.; Nomura Securities Co.; Daiwa Securities Co.; SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.; Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co.; Monex Inc.; Matsui Securities Co.; and Mitsubishi UFJ eSmart Securities Co. The total is up by three from the previous tally. The number of cases surged from just 39 in January and 33 in February to 687 in March and a staggering 2,746 in April. Of the 304.9 billion yen in unauthorized transactions, 161.2 billion yen was for sell orders and 143.7 billion yen involved buy orders. Ninety percent of the activity occurred in April. In some instances, illicitly purchased shares remained in the hijacked accounts, meaning that actual financial losses were not reflected in the total transaction value. However, some victims reportedly suffered damages reaching tens of millions of yen. In response to the escalating problem, the Japan Securities Dealers Association has announced that 10 of its member firms plan to offer partial compensation to affected clients. Authorities are urging brokerages to strengthen authentication measures for securities accounts by combining at least two security features, such as one-time passwords and biometric verification.
