Japan’s largest taxi operator, Nihon Kotsu, has shut down part of its IT infrastructure after detecting unauthorized access to its internal systems. The company said the incident involved a malware infection and forced it to disconnect affected systems to contain the attack, disrupting taxi dispatch operations.
The cyberattack was detected early on Saturday, prompting Nihon Kotsu to activate emergency response procedures. According to the company, internal systems were isolated immediately after the intrusion was discovered to prevent the malware from spreading further across its network.
The attack has left the company’s taxi dispatch system offline, affecting the assignment of vehicles to customers. Nihon Kotsu said drivers can still accept passengers through street hails and designated taxi stands, allowing transportation services to continue despite the disruption.
Nihon Kotsu is Japan’s largest taxi and chauffeur operator by revenue, employing more than 18,000 people and managing a fleet of over 8,500 taxis alongside more than 2,000 chauffeur vehicles. The company has not disclosed how many systems were affected or whether any customer or employee information was accessed during the incident.
An investigation into the breach is ongoing with the assistance of external cybersecurity specialists. At this stage, the company has not identified the attackers, disclosed the initial intrusion method, or confirmed whether any data was stolen before the systems were taken offline.
Nihon Kotsu apologized to customers for the disruption and said it is working to restore affected services as quickly as possible while strengthening security measures. The company has not provided a timeline for when its dispatch platform will return to normal operation.